An old land dispute involving 81-year-old Asgar Ali Vora, a former schoolmate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has moved towards a settlement after Vora met the Prime Minister and sought intervention in the case.
Vora, a resident of Mira Road, had approached Modi over a disputed plot in Navghar, Bhayandar East. He alleged that the property, which he had purchased decades ago, was taken over through forged documents and later divided between two construction-related entities.
Within days of his meeting with the Prime Minister, the matter was taken up by Maharashtra government officials. BJP MLA Narendra Mehta has now agreed to give up possession of the disputed property, surrender the construction permission issued for the plot and withdraw a police complaint filed against Vora.
How the land dispute began
According to Vora, he purchased around 2,810 square metres of land in Navghar, Bhayandar East, through a registered agreement in 1989.
He has maintained that he never sold or transferred the property. Vora alleged that documents relating to the land were subsequently forged in 2011 and that the plot was divided into two portions without his knowledge.
He claimed that one portion was linked to Swayam Builders, while the other was associated with Seven Eleven Constructions, a company linked to Mehta.
Vora also alleged that construction permission was granted on the disputed property despite his claim of ownership. These allegations have been made by Vora and remain part of the dispute.
Vora approached PM Modi
Vora studied with Modi at BN School in Vadnagar, Gujarat. He met the Prime Minister on September 8 and raised the land dispute during the meeting.
Before approaching Modi, Vora said he had pursued the matter with the police, revenue authorities and municipal officials for years. He had also sought a CBI investigation into the alleged forgery and the role of people and officials connected with the dispute.
An FIR relating to the alleged forgery was registered in 2015. Vora later questioned the delay in the investigation and said the CID report in the matter was submitted only in 2026.
Maharashtra government takes up the matter
Following Vora’s meeting with Modi, senior Maharashtra government officials took up the dispute.
A meeting was chaired by Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Shrikar Pardeshi at the state secretariat. Vora, Narendra Mehta, Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Radha Vinod Sharma and Town Planner Purushottam Shinde were among those present.
The meeting focused on the disputed property and the claims made by the two sides.
Narendra Mehta agrees to give up possession
During the meeting, Mehta submitted a letter to the Town Planning Department stating that he was relinquishing possession of the disputed land and returning the construction permission connected with the property.
Mehta said in his letter that the land had been purchased from Mervyn Fernandes in 2019.
In another letter addressed to the police commissioner, Mehta said he was withdrawing the earlier complaint against Vora following a settlement between the two sides.
The development effectively removes Mehta’s claim to possession of the disputed plot, although the wider allegations concerning the property’s history and documents are separate matters.
What Vora had alleged
Vora had alleged that forged documents were used to alter the ownership and possession records of his property. He also questioned how construction permission was granted on land over which he claimed ownership.
He had sought a CBI probe into the alleged forgery and the actions of builders and government officials.
The allegations against the builders and officials have not been established as facts by a court and should be understood as Vora’s claims in the long-running dispute.
From a decades-old dispute to a settlement
The case had remained unresolved despite Vora approaching different government departments and the police.
His September 8 meeting with Modi was followed by government-level discussions and a meeting involving the concerned parties. Mehta’s decision to surrender possession and construction permission, along with the withdrawal of the police complaint, has now brought the dispute to a settlement between the two sides.
The developments have brought an end to the immediate dispute over possession, while questions raised by Vora regarding the alleged forged documents and the earlier handling of the case remain part of the broader legal history of the property.
