MUMBAI, Aug. 16 -- The Bombay high court on Thursday reprimanded a section of residents of the Jaku Club slum pocket in Santacruz East for blocking the redevelopment of their settlement for nearly four years and directed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to evict them under police protection and vacate the site within two weeks. "Any defiance to the rule of law must be dealt with.an iron hand so that the faith of the people in the judicial system is maintained," the division bench of justices Revati Mohite Dere and Dr Neela Gokhale said, upholding a petition filed by Siddhivinayak CHS, a proposed co-operative housing society formed by the slum dwellers, and Arihant Construction, the developer appointed by the society for redeveloping the settlement. The petitioners had sought directions to the SRA to implement its own order dated February 16, 2024 and eviction notices issued to slum dwellers on March 19, 2024 under the Maharashtra Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971 and begin eviction proceedings against non-cooperative slum dwellers. Any obstruction to implementation of the court's order would be treated as "interference with the administration of justice" and "dealt with accordingly", the court warned. As per the order, the Jaku Club neighbourhood, declared a slum in 1977, is spread over seven plots and houses 362 families. Among these, 271 families were found eligible for free rehabilitation in the redevelopment project, which was granted a commencement certificate in September 2021. Out of the 271 families eligible for rehabilitation, 152 families vacated their premises after receiving rent from the developer, to the tune of Rs.17,000 per month. The developer has deposited over Rs.6.5 crore with the SRA as transit rent for the 271 eligible families , with annual expenses estimated at Rs.2.95 crore, the order said. Slum dwellers opposing eviction had filed multiple petitions challenging the SRA's notices dated February 16, 2024 and March 19, 2024. The court had dismissed these earlier, saying redevelopment could not be delayed until every eligibility claim was decided as it would make execution of the project impossible. In June 2024, while dismissing one such petition, the high court noted that interests of even pending claimants were protected through deposited rents. The high court came down heavily on the "pattern" of last-minute litigation aimed at stalling demolition drives, calling it an "abuse of judicial process" and imposing a fine of Rs.10,000. Despite these court orders, the SRA was facing threats and intimidation from some residents. The bench expressed deep concern and directed the Vakola police station to help the SRA in evicting slum dwellers and vacating the property within two weeks....