Afroz Shah had launched the Versova beach clean-up in 2016

MUMBAI: In a unique order, a Bombay high court bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Bharati Dangre directed a public interest litigant, who claimed to be a social activist, to establish his bona fides by doing some "real social work" by helping United Nations Earth Champion Afroz Shah for a week.

Shah's Versova beach clean-up has been described by the UN environment as the world's largest and most inspirational fight against plastic pollution and marine litter. This was the third such order where Shah's work has attracted judicial notice and litigants sent to him for social service-the HC has earlier ordered accused to work with Shah as a condition in two criminal quashing cases.

The HC made the observation while hearing a PIL filed in 2017 by Khar resident Rakesh Chavan, claiming that Nesco Ltd had filled a lake in Goregaon (E). When the HC asked Nesco's counsel, Prasad Dhakephalkar, who the petitioner was, he described him as a "busybody" who filed PILs when new constructions start. In his petition, Chavan claimed he was a "social activist to bring social upliftment of society".

The CJ said if Chavan was an activist, he must do some social work to show his bona fides. The bench first suggested that he do some work with the police, but Dhakephalkar, who appeared with counsel Abhinav Chandrachud for Nesco, said he should work with Shah. The bench said, "You want to work for the betterment of society, then do some real social work now...Do any work that Afroz Shah assigns you for a week." The HC directed the state ensure that Chavan reports to Shah next Monday. The bench said it would then consider the PIL which has made as parties the state revenue department, urban development department, Borivli tehsildar, department of land records, police commissioner, BMC and Nesco through its directors.

During the hearing, Chavan sought time to file an additional document, but the bench declined. The CJ said he could not understand the petition after hearing Chavan's lawyer and asked Dhakephalkar to explain the issue. Dhakephalkar said the PIL claimed that Nesco had filled a lake and a well and is constructing a building there. But, he added, the firm had bought the land, called Tank Land, in 1970 from Byramjee Jijeebhoy and built Hall No. 9 on it. There was no lake, he said, adding that the hall building was demolished and the reconstruction nearing completion when the PIL was filed.

