HC orders surrender of Ghai's Whistling Woods land to Maha govt

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today ordered the filmmaker Subhash Ghai-run Whistling Woods film and television institute to hand over the 20-acre land on which it is located, to the Maharashtra government.[caption id="attachment_208609" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="The HC has also restrained Whistling Woods from granting admissions to students for courses that will go beyond 2014. AFP Photo"][/caption]"In the interest of justice, we direct respondent number 3 and 4 (Ghai and Whistling Woods) to vacate 14.5 acre area immediately, which shall be resumed by the state government. The remaining 5.5 acre, where the institute is constructed, shall be taken over by the government on 31 July 2014, by when all the ongoing courses at the film institute shall be completed," a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Girish Godbole said.The HC has also restrained Whistling Woods from granting admissions to students for courses that will go beyond 2014. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Rajendra Sontakke and four other agriculturists from Latur and Osmanabad districts who alleged "gross abuse of power" by former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in allotting the land.The bench has also directed Ghai to pay rent of Rs 5.3 crore annually since the year 2000 when the director entered into a joint venture with the government to start a film institute.The bench has however stayed its order for a period of eight weeks to permit the director-producer to approach Supreme Court.PTI