MUMBAI, Dec. 6 -- In a stinging rebuke to the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), the Bombay High Court on Thursday criticised officials for halting the preparation of Annexure-II in a Kandivali slum redevelopment project after receiving letters from a local MLA. The court termed the action a "complete abdication of statutory duties" and cautioned that such political interference "must never be repeated." A division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe was hearing a petition filed by the New Shree Krishna SRA Co-operative Housing Society, which represents 285 slum dwellers at CTS No. 846 in Laljipada, Kandivali West. The society alleged that despite the scheme being approved in February 2023 and survey work having begun, SRA officials abruptly stopped finalising Annexure-II- the eligibility list of slum dwellers- after objections were raised by a rival group. According to the petition, the process stalled after a local MLA wrote to the SRA chief executive officer and the Mumbai police commissioner in August 2024, opposing the appointed developer and asking police not to extend protection to SRA staff conducting the survey. In an affidavit, the deputy collector admitted that the Annexure-II proceedings were halted following the MLA's communications. Calling the affidavit "nothing short of opening a can of worms," the bench said it was "alarming" that statutory officers had succumbed to external pressure for over a year, effectively paralysing the redevelopment scheme. The judges stressed that rival slum groups and political actors cannot be allowed to derail projects governed strictly by the Slum Act, its Rules and the Development Control Regulations. The court also issued a stern warning to SRA officials, saying this "must be the last case" where they allow political pressure to influence statutory functions. Disputes among slum dwellers, it added, must be raised before appropriate authorities or courts - not through elected representatives. In sharp observations on repeated law-and-order issues during slum surveys, the bench noted that individuals who seek free rehabilitation housing but simultaneously create obstruction should not be rewarded with tenements. It suggested that SRA consider excluding proven trouble-makers from eligibility and even explore recalling schemes if violence or disruptions persist. Allowing the petition, the court directed the SRA to complete Annexure-II for the Kandivali land within two months and ensure there are no further delays. While clarifying that it was not deciding issues related to an intervenor developer for the adjoining CTS No. 834 (part), the bench said plot-wise survey work may continue for both lands with appropriate police protection....