Supreme Court dismisses challenge to Mannat renovation

The Supreme Court has dismissed a final legal challenge to the renovation of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's iconic Mumbai residence, Mannat, clearing the way for the addition of two floors to the seafront property. The ruling, delivered on July 14, 2026, upholds earlier environmental approvals and ends a petition that questioned the Coastal Regulation Zone clearance for the project.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana declined to interfere with a September 16, 2025, order from the National Green Tribunal, which had also dismissed the challenge. The court expressed skepticism about the petitioner's motives, emphasizing the rights of homeowners to renovate private property within legal bounds.

"They are living there. If in a residential house they want to have additional floors... it's their choice. The law is broadly followed. Why should a neighbour or anybody else intervene?" the bench remarked during the hearing. The justices stated explicitly that a person's celebrity status had no bearing on the court's consideration of the case.

The petition was filed by Mumbai-based activist Santosh Daundkar, who had earlier approached the...