In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of India has overturned a 2022 Bombay High Court ruling that directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to transfer the title of a five-acre plot in Worli, Mumbai, to Century Textiles and Industries Ltd, now known as Aditya Birla Real Estate Limited. The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Prasanna B Varale, passed the judgment on January 7, 2025, siding with the BMC and dismissing the appeal filed by Century Textiles, PTI reports.

The dispute revolves around a plot of land leased to Century Textiles under the City of Bombay Improvement Act, 1898. Originally part of a welfare scheme aimed at providing housing for the working class, the lease agreement required Century Textiles to construct residential accommodations for workers. The company fulfilled its obligations by building 476 dwellings and 10 shops by 1925. However, after the lease expired in 1955, Century Textiles did not pursue the conveyance of the land until 2006, when it issued a legal notice seeking transfer of the title.