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The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a group of washermen and “rassi holders” (rope holders) who work at the iconic Dhobi Ghat area near Jacob Circle in South Mumbai. The petitioners had objected to a Slum Rehabilitation (SR) project planned on the land they use to dry clothes, claiming historical rights over it.
In an order passed on October 15, a division bench of Justice Girish S. Kulkarni and Justice Aarti A. Sathe held that the petitioners did not have any legal rights to obstruct the redevelopment project. The court noted that the rassi holders were using the land only for inserting ropes to dry clothes and were not in actual residential or commercial occupation of the property.
“Any right in respect of such use of the land is only for the purpose of inserting the ropes. It is not the case that the petitioners are enjoying any occupation of any residential or commercial structure,” the bench observed. The court added that they could not, therefore, create hurdles in the redevelopment process, which is now being carried out by Resonant Realtors Projects Pvt. Ltd., formerly known as Omkar Realtors.
Alternate Site and Settlement
The High Court also took note that an alternate drying site has already been offered to the rassi holders, which addresses their concerns about losing their workplace. Some of the petitioners have reportedly reached an amicable settlement with the developer, under which they will receive transit rent for five years and assistance in finding an alternate site during that period. The court accepted this arrangement as a fair resolution for those who agreed to the terms.
The bench clarified that with these measures in place, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the developer are free to proceed with the project and take necessary steps to ensure smooth redevelopment.
The Dispute
The dispute revolves around land belonging to the proposed Saibaba Nagar SRA Co-operative Housing Society, covering over 28,000 square metres, of which 7,000 square metres are designated as a non-slum area reserved for drying clothes. The petitioners, who belong to families that have been working as washermen in the area for decades, claimed that they had been using this land for over a hundred years.
They argued that the portion of land reserved for drying clothes had been wrongly merged into the slum rehabilitation project without their consent and that no equivalent land had been earmarked for their use elsewhere. The rassi holders said that the redevelopment would deprive them of their traditional livelihood.
Court’s Observation
The High Court, however, disagreed with this argument. It found that while the washermen and rassi holders had indeed used the land for drying clothes, their activity did not amount to legal possession or occupation of the land. The court emphasized that merely using the space to fix ropes could not establish ownership or permanent rights over the property.
“Such limited use cannot be equated with lawful occupation,” the judges noted, underlining that redevelopment was being carried out in accordance with permissions granted by the concerned authorities. The court stated that since the petitioners were not residing or conducting any commercial operations on the land, they could not stall the project.
Path Cleared for Redevelopment
The order effectively clears the way for the continuation of the slum rehabilitation project, which had faced delays due to the ongoing dispute. The BMC can now take all necessary steps to ensure that redevelopment work proceeds smoothly.
The court’s ruling underscores the balance between protecting traditional occupations and enabling urban renewal in Mumbai — a city where redevelopment projects often intersect with long-standing local livelihoods. For the washermen of Dhobi Ghat, the case highlights the tension between preserving a historic trade and adapting to the city’s rapid transformation.
With an alternate site offered and compensation measures in place, the court’s decision seeks to ensure that the project moves forward without disregarding the needs of the rassi holders. The ruling may also serve as a precedent in similar redevelopment disputes across the city, where questions of occupation and land use frequently come into play.
