India, Aug. 26 -- The last-minute battle of Willingdon Cooperative Housing Society (CHS) residents yielded a glimmer of success on Monday when, after more than eight hours of waiting at the Byculla fire brigade office, they finally secured a fire compliance letter. Though not a formal Fire NOC, the letter is now their most critical document to present in court, as families living on the 17th to 34th floors of the Tardeo high-rise race against an August 27 eviction deadline.

The Bombay High Court has held that the upper floors of the 2010-built tower are illegal in the absence of a full Occupancy Certificate (OC) and a fire safety NOC. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court refused to intervene, clearing the way for eviction. Residents had...