MLA Baba Siddiqui has filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court, denying the allegation that he was trying to usurp the property of Goldie Sood, who owns Melagreena Building owner and who who used to run Gazebo Restaurant in Bandra.

Sood had filed a petition accusing Siddiqui of trying to snatch his property. He had attached a photograph showing Siddiqui and a bodyguard on the building premises.

On June 10, the division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S C Dharmadhikari directed Siddiqui to explain the photograph and clarify what he was doing at the building with his bodyguard.

Advocate G W Mattos, appearing for Siddiqui, informed the court that the photograph had been taken in 2004, while the petition was filed in 2009.

Siddiqui’s affidavit says said he is not interested in the said property. It adds that on April 30, 2004, he had got a complaint from one of the tenants that Sood was removing a load-bearing wall; this is why (he) Siddiqui had gone to the site. He found BMC officers already present there along with police officers. Siddiqui requested the police to break open a door under panchnama and stop the demolition but the police refused to do so and Siddiqui left, the affidavit states.

The affidavit says that the issue would be sorted out if a CCTV is installed in the building and records whatever goes on there. On June 29, the court had adjourned hearing for two weeks and asked Sood to file a rejoinder.