Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde on Wednesday alleged that film star Shah Rukh Khan was
one of the several people whom the democratic Front government had favoured by allotting reserved land
in Mumbai for residential purpose.
He demanded an inquiry into it.
Ten Thousand square feet of land in suburban Bandra, located next to the house of film star Shah Rukh
Khan, was de-reserved by the DF government in 2003 and sold to the actor to expand his house, Munde
told reporters in Mumbai.
The land was reserved for an art gallery in the development plan, he alleged.
Munde said in a letter to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh he has demanded a retired high court judge
be asked to inquire into the matter.
Till the probe is completed, the development of these lands should be stayed, he said.
Shah Rukh Khan dubbed as 'false and baseless' Munde's allegations.
"I have never sought any favours from the government. The land I have was purchased from a private party
and hence the question of buying the land from the government does not arise," tells Khan.
"The land was bought three-four years ago through the normal course of procedure by the architect. There
was nothing illegal about the whole thing as has been made out," he said.
Munde also alleged that 67 pieces of land, which were meant for public utility, were de-reserved for
residential purpose. There was massive corruption in land allotment, he added.
"Some of the lands in Andheri have gone to a well known real-estate group, while a PWD land in
Ghatkopar, too, was allotted to a private builder for residential complex," he said.
Munde said he had raised the issue in the legislative assembly earlier last week following which
Deshmukh had assured a probe into the matter provided a list of such lands was furnished.
Today he submitted the list to the CM's office, he added.
Thursday, March 24, 2005 15:34 IST