Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday paved the way for the redevelopment of Shrijibaug Flats in Memnagar by ordering three dissenting residents, including an NRI, to vacate their flats. This move allows the nearly four-year-old plan to redevelop the aging structures to proceed without further delay.

In its ruling, the court of Justice Mauna Bhatt emphasized that “the disapproval by a small minority cannot override the decision made by an overwhelming majority of society members, unless there is evidence of fraud, misrepresentation, or violation of law.”

Shrijibaug Cooperative Housing Society, built 55 years ago in Memnagar, planned redevelopment due to its deteriorating condition after receiving an AMC notice. Although most members supported the project and signed an MoU with Prabhuvan Buildcon to get larger flats and relocation benefits, four members opposed it. The dispute was brought before the high court, where three continued to resist. Separately, two other members were involved in a civil dispute over one flat. However, the court ruled that the majority’s decision should stand, and it is not the court’s role to overrule the collective commercial judgment of the society.

The court ordered the developer to proceed as per the MoU and instructed the three remaining dissenters to vacate their flats and hand them over to either the society or the builder. DeshGujarat