Mumbai’s new tenant eviction mechanism has produced its first order, with a Deputy Commissioner of Police directing occupants of a Santacruz East flat to hand over possession after their registered leave-and-licence agreement expired.
The order was passed by the DCP and competent authority of Mumbai’s West Region 9 division in a case involving a residential flat in Jai Cooperative Housing Society Limited on Nehru Road, Santacruz East. The Mumbai Police said the decision followed the appointment of all 15 divisional DCPs under the Mumbai Police Commissionerate as competent authorities for their respective jurisdictions.
The appointments were made by the Maharashtra government’s Housing Department through a notification dated July 31, 2026, according to a police press note. The move places a designated police authority at the centre of a legal process intended to help property owners recover possession when occupants remain in a premises after a registered leave-and-licence agreement has ended.
The applicants in the Santacruz East case, Prakash Digambar Devdhar and Prabha Prakash Devdhar, told the competent authority that the occupants had not handed over vacant and peaceful possession of the flat after the expiry of a 36-month registered leave-and-licence agreement. Their application was filed on October 16, 2026.
The authority examined the applications, written submissions, the registered agreement and other documents before conducting a hearing under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999. It rejected the respondents’ application seeking permission to contest the eviction proceedings and allowed the applicants’ eviction application.
The order directed the occupants to hand over vacant and peaceful possession of the premises, along with the keys, to the applicants. It also provided for compensation at twice the monthly licence fee for the period of unauthorised occupation after the agreement’s expiry, in accordance with the Act.
The police said the appointment of divisional DCPs as competent authorities gives residents a legal mechanism to seek possession of their premises after registered leave-and-licence agreements expire. Citizens facing such difficulties can submit an application with the required documents to the DCP and competent authority exercising jurisdiction over the property.
The arrangement adds an administrative layer to Mumbai’s rental and residential property system, where disputes over possession can affect owners’ ability to use, lease or transfer their homes. The first order also establishes how the process may operate in practice: an application is examined with supporting documents, the parties are heard, and the authority can direct possession and compensation where the statutory conditions are met.
The Mumbai Police said the initiative is intended to ensure effective implementation of the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, and provide relief to property owners who face difficulties recovering possession from occupants who continue to stay after their agreements have expired.
