In March, HC directed party to demolish illegal extensions and reduce office space from 9,700 to 1,200 sq ft.On Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party began demolishing the illegally constructed portion of its state headquarters at Nariman Point. This demolition will likely inconvenience senior BJP leaders, functionaries and spokespersons, most of who operate out of their chambers at state headquarters.The action comes after the BJP, the ruling party in the state as well as the Centre’s coalition government, was, in March, directed by the Bombay High Court to demolish the extension of their office which encroached on public recreational land within six months. According to BMC officials, the BJP was given space for a 1,200 square foot office at Nariman Point in 1989. The office was extended to 1,482 square feet in 1995 and then to 9,700 square feet. The court directed the BJP to reduce the headquarters to 1,200 feet.The Bombay High Court also directed the BMC to demolish the illegal portion in case the BJP did not adhere to the undertaking within the stipulated period. BMC officials said they recently sent the BJP a reminder asking them to demolish the illegal extensions or face action. Mirror first reported about the illegal extensions in 2013. The Bombay High Court passed the directive after hearing a PIL filed by the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Welfare Trust in 2013. The PIL alleged that the area near Nehru Garden, Mantralaya was supposed to be an ‘open space,’ yet various constructions had come up there – which include offices of the Janata Dal, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, the State Employment Exchange, Public Works Department (PWD) and a Jhunka Bhakar Kendra, apart from the BJP State headquarters – according to government records accessed by Mirror, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the MTDC were given 1,334 square feet and 4,546 square feet respectively to build their offices.The division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice CV Bhadang said, “There are few open spaces in Mumbai and it is becoming a concrete jungle. It is the necessity of the hour to preserve open spaces and recreational grounds. People in Mumbai are trying to exercise their right to live in a pollutionfree environment as guaranteed to them under Article 21(Right to Life) of the Constitution.”Rapping the state government, the court observed, “We fail to understand reasons that prevent the State to preserve land for recreational ground. That too in the heart of the city.” The court said, “In the larger interest of protecting the environment, parties will co-operate in vacating the premises.” Following the direction, the BJP submitted an affidavit in the court where it said that the party would voluntarily demolish the extended structures.Atul Kumar, Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Welfare Trust, said, “We hope that the BJP follows the Bombay High Court’s instruction in both letter and spirit. The entire garden must be restored to its original condition – just like it was in 1989 – the recreational ground must not be used for any other purpose. Not just the BJP’s illegal construction, but the other structures encroaching on the garden must also be removed.”BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, “We had submitted an affidavit and are complying with the court’s directive.”