India, Sept. 1 -- The Bombay High Court has struck down a Rs.15.45 lakh penalty imposed by a Mumbai cooperative housing society on a member for keeping a bicycle in a staircase, a practice that the society claimed amounted to encroachment of common space and had continued for nearly 11 years.

Calling the demand "astronomical" and the penalty excessive and arbitrary, justice Sandeep Marne observed that it appeared "quite ludicrous" for the society to seek to recover Rs.15.45 lakh over the parking of a bicycle in the staircase.

The dispute dates back to August 13, 2021, when Dhanlakshmi Co-operative Housing Society issued a notice to Yogini Bhupendra Parikh and Sejal Patel, occupiers of a flat in the building, asking them to show cause wh...