India, Oct. 7 -- The Bombay High Court has ordered perjury proceedings against four trustees of a Goregaon East religious trust for allegedly making false statements to stall the demolition of seven structures in a slum redevelopment project. The court said the petitioners had misused provisions of the Slum Redevelopment Act to wrongfully claim rehabilitation benefits. The court observed, " This extortion in the guise of being helpless slum dwellers must be curbed."

Justice Kamal Khata also directed the trustees to pay Rs.2.5 lakh to the Shree Nityanand Ashram old age home in Mira Road within four weeks, for "attempting to play a fraud on the court".

The case involved Masjid and Madrasa Gausiya, a trust which approached the court seekin...