The Bawakhaleshwar temple in Navi Mumbai, illegally built on Government land by a close relative of a former NCP minister in the Maharashtra government built was demolished on Tuesday after a long legal battle.

After a eight year long legal battle in the High and the Supreme Court, the temple was finally pulled down amidst tight security  after government officials  removed the idols . The structure was deemed illegal by the High Court . In September this year, the Supreme Court had turned down the special leave petition.

The temple was built at Pawane village in Navi Mumbai in 2007 over 32 acres, which allegedly belonged to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and was inaugurated by then Minister Ganesh Naik. According to an original PIL filed in 2009, the temple was built illegally a nephew of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ganesh Naik by encroaching upon MIDC land. It was alleged that the then minister nephew had grabbed huge amount of the public property.

–India Legal Bureau