Mumbai DCP orders eviction of tenant after agreement expiry
The order is the first issued under a new system appointing divisional police officers as competent authorities to resolve rental disputes.
A Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in Mumbai has ordered the occupants of a Santacruz East flat to hand over possession to the owners after their 36-month leave-and-licence agreement ended. According to News18 Marathi and Urban Acres, this is the first order issued under a new mechanism following the Maharashtra government's July 31, 2026, notification.
The case involved a residential flat in Jai Cooperative Housing Society Limited on Nehru Road. Property owners Prakash Digambar Devdhar and Prabha Prakash Devdhar filed an application on October 16, 2026, after the tenants refused to vacate the premises. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, competent authority for Mumbai's West Region 9 division, conducted a hearing under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999.
The authority rejected the respondents' request to contest the eviction and approved the application from the owners. The order directs the occupants to immediately return the keys and provide vacant, peaceful possession of the flat to the applicants.
The occupants must also pay the owners double the monthly licence fee for the time they stayed in the flat without permission. The court noted that any claims regarding stuck security deposits must be settled through separate legal channels.
The Mumbai Police stated that the appointment of 15 divisional DCPs as competent authorities aims to speed up legal processes for owners. Citizens facing similar issues can now apply directly to the competent authority in their respective jurisdictions.