After being inaugurated with much fanfare at the hands of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2016, the Bombay Art Society's conspicuous building in Bandra Reclamation has run into legal trouble. The society, one of the city's oldest and most prominent arts and culture institutions, is fighting it out with the developer, Drushti Group, the real estate firm founded by Ashok Jagdale, that constructed the building. The issue at hand is a popular restaurant called Su Casa that opened in the building's premises in December 2016. In February this year, the Bombay Art Society filed a petition against Drushti for leasing out space to Su Casa to operate in the premises. As per the agreement dated 2005 signed by these two parties, Drushti Group has claim over 50 per cent of the building, said advocate Sagar Pawar, lawyer for the developer. "The land has been leased [by MHADA] to both, the Bombay Art Society and Drushti Group for a period of 30 years," he told mid-day.

The Bombay Art Society founded in 1888 moved into its new headquarters at Bandra Reclamation in 2016. Pic/Shadab Khan