Justice GS Patel recently penned a humorous order on the repair works at the 100 year old DG Chambers building in the nearby Fort area because of which the popular veg restaurant Dwarka has been shut down temporarily. The eatery is especially popular among members of the legal community considering its close proximity to both the High Court and the City Civil & Sessions Court.

While directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the owners of the said building to ensure that repair works are completed in a timely manner before the onset of monsoon, the division bench of Justice GS Patel and Justice Kamal Khata also enquired as to when the lawyers can expect to resume patronage of the said restaurant.
Advocate Simil Purohit appeared on behalf of the owners of the said restaurant and Advocate Yashodeep Deshmukh appear on behalf of the owners of the building. Justice Patel articulated their submissions in the following manner-

"Mr Purohit seems to be personally peeved. He says that he was until recently, like many of us were, some of us a long time ago, a regular at the Dwarka Hotel at the western end of Dalal Street. It was renowned for its many vegetarian delights. At the instance of Mr Deshmukh's clients the hotel been shut down. As a result — and Mr Purohit only hints at this — large sections of the legal community have suffered, especially in the High Court and the City Civil Court. He does not go quite so far as to suggest that there is therefore now a compelling public interest; but indeed well he might at some stage. After all, who are we to come in the way of the much-needed sustenance and refuelling of advocates at our Bar?

Even otherwise, there is undeniable urgency. The matter has been going on before us since October 2023. Dwarka shifted out in February 2024. Since then, Mr Purohit and his fraternity have been without the benefits of Dwarka's menu. This is the cause of Mr Purohit's post-prandial ire.

Mr Purohit is concerned that if Mr Deshmukh's people will not restore the building, then Dwarka will exercise its rights to restore. This attempt by Mr Deshmukh's clients, Mr Purohit says, to deprive Dwarka and through Dwarka the legal community in Mumbai will not succeed.

Mr Deshmukh appears to us to be somewhat conflicted. We see where his personal sympathies lie. But his instructions are otherwise, and he is bound by those. Delicately treading this tightrope, he submits that indeed repairs or re-development must progress, but the situation at the site does not allow for an instant solution. His clients have indeed made progress, but other factors have intervened.

This is not, Mr Deshmukh says, just a matter between Bar and Bench. There is indeed, as he puts it, a question of Live Law. He shows us some repair work papers and some loose documents in support of this submission."

Finally, the bench directed BMC to file a status report but not without sarcastically referring to the civic body's re-christening as BMC-

"In any event, we expect a status report by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (which was once upon a time the Bombay Municipal Corporation or BMC, then the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai or MCGM and now, old wine in an older bottle, is the BMC again) by Friday, 22nd March 2024 as to what progress has been made and timelines for completion of the essential repair work.

And when our lawyers can expect to resume their patronage of the Dwarka vegetarian restaurant."

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