In a landmark ruling, the Bombay High Court has directed the residents of Cozihom Cooperative Housing Society, located in the prestigious Pali Hill area of Mumbai, to vacate the premises within six months. The case dates back to the 1950s when Bollywood legend Meena Kumari and her husband, filmmaker Kamal Amrohi, bought a 2.5-acre plot for Rs 5 lakh and leased it to a developer who built the five buildings that now house the society.
The dispute began in the 1970s when Kamal Amrohi accused the society of failing to pay the full rent for the leased land. The agreed rent was Rs 8,835 per month, but the society contended that part of the land did not belong to the original landowner, leading to a reduction in the rent paid. In 1991, Amrohi filed for eviction due to arrears of rent totalling Rs 66,060. Despite his passing in 1993, his children continued the legal battle.
On April 23, 2025, the Bandra Small Causes Court ruled in favour of Tajdar Amrohi, Kamal Amrohi's son, and Arham Land Developers. The court directed that the society vacate the property within six months. The society, which houses 162 families, mostly senior citizens, intends to challenge the order in the Bombay High Court.
The society claims to have cleared all pending rent dues with interest and deposited the amount in an escrow account for the last two decades. The legal dispute, they argue, pertains solely to the land, not the buildings constructed on it. The court's decision cited the lease agreement, which included a clause stating that failure to pay the agreed rent could result in the termination of the lease, allowing the lessors to reclaim possession of both the land and the buildings.
The land, valued at over Rs 1,000 crore, was later sold to Arham Land Developers by Tajdar Amrohi in 2010 for Rs 5 crore, with the developers acquiring rights to the land and three buildings through a registered deed. The case has brought significant attention to the legacy of Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi, as well as the long-standing legal issues tied to the land in one of Mumbai's most sought-after locales.