The Antilia of Mukesh Reliance Industries owner Mukesh Ambani is sailing in troubled waters. Executive CEO of Maharashtra State Waqf Board told that the land on which the Antilia (built with the expenses of Rs. 11000 crore) has been constructed belongs to an orphanage. The land was illegally sold. In an affidavit submitted in Bombay High Court, the CEO said, the ratification to sell the land given by the then Chairman and CEO on March 9, 2005 was illegal. On July 21, 2017, the Bombay High Court bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur had directed the state Waqf board to clear its stand.
Joint Secretary Minority Development Department and acting CEO of State Waqf Board Sandesh C Tadvi had filed the petition, according to which the world’s most expensive house Antilia was built on a piece of property owned by Currimbhoy Ebrahim Khoja orphanage trust which used to run an orphanage for ‘providing maintenance and education of poor and destitute children belonging to the Khoja community.’. It was sold on a throwaway price to Ambani’s company Antilia Commercial Private Limited (ACPL) in July 2002.
Much later Maharashtra State Board of Waqf found it illegal and issued notice to Antilia commercial on violation of section 52 of Waqf Act. Latest PIL has been filed by Abdul Mateen who challenged the Charity Commissioner against the sale of Waqf land in the up market Altamount road to Reliance Industries owner Mukesh Ambani.