The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea on alleged environmental violation by adding two floors to actor Shah Rukh Khan’s sea-facing bungalow ‘Mannat’ in Mumbai’s Bandra area.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, “We have serious doubts about your authenticity. Once we have doubts, we will not entertain your petition.”
The court was hearing an appeal filed by Santosh Daundkar, an environmental activist, challenging the dismissal of his plea by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Western Region, Pune on September 16, 2025.
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The petition demands the cancellation of 7th-8th floor in Shahrukh’s Mannat.
The petition had sought cancellation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance granted on January 3, 2025, for the construction of the seventh and eighth floors at the actor’s sprawling residence. Daundkar had also named his wife Gauri Khan as a party in his plea before the NGT and the apex court.
Senior advocate Shoaib Alam, representing the petitioner, told the court that the rules have been put on hold and such a concession cannot be given to a person who is a leading actor.
He said any construction project in the area where ‘Mannat’ is located requires prior environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for any project exceeding the total investment cost. ₹50 million. The petitioner alleged that it was not received.
Alam further argued that the entire plot in question was earlier earmarked for an art gallery in the statutory development plan and this requirement was removed in June 2004 without mandatory permission from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). The actor’s residence already had six floors in addition to two basement levels.
The CRZ clearance allowed the actor to build a basement, ground floor up to the eighth floor with a total height of over 37 metres.
Alam said the NGT refused to go ahead with the CRZ clearance of 2025 as he alleged that during the construction of the structure, two heritage structures were demolished without the prior mandatory approval of the MoEFCC. The bench, also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, said, “Now you are reviving the claim of a heritage building.”
The court also rejected Alam’s request to send the case back to the NGT.
