Salvation Army Officials Face Fresh Complaints Over Alleged ₹3-Crore Satara Land Deal; 3 Chargesheeted In Byculla Building Collapse

Mumbai: Fresh complaints filed before the Assistant Charity Commissioner and Agripada Police have accused senior functionaries of the Salvation Army of allegedly violating Bombay High Court orders in connection with an unauthorised Rs 3-crore land transaction in Satara. The complaints follow the collapse of a portion of the organisation's heritage building in Byculla on October 22, 2025, following alleged unauthorised structural alterations.

Salvation Army Member Files Complaint Over Alleged Fraudulent Land Transaction

Sunand David Gajbhiv, a member of the Salvation Army, has submitted a written complaint to the Assistant Charity Commissioner, Worli, and approached Agripada Police, accusing church functionaries, including John William and Devdan Kalkumbe, of executing an allegedly fraudulent transaction involving trust land in Satara.

The Salvation Army follows a military-style hierarchy for its clergy. Major Kalkumbe, responding to the allegations, said the organisation was complying with all directions issued by the Charity Commissioner. "We cannot make deals without permission of the Charity Commissioner," he said.

Complainant Questions January 2026 MoU And Advance Payment

According to Gajbhiv's complaint, the land was originally the subject of a transaction in 1987. However, the trust administrators allegedly entered into a fresh Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on January 27, 2026, and collected an advance payment.

The complainant has alleged that the transaction violates a Bombay High Court status quo order dated October 19, 2004, which restrained the Salvation Army from creating third-party rights or encumbrances on the property. He has also cited Charity Commissioner directives dating back to 2010, which, according to him, require public tenders, newspaper advertisements and prior official approval for the sale or lease of trust properties.

Complainant Seeks Cancellation Of Land Deal And Criminal Proceedings

Gajbhiv has sought a declaration that the transaction is null and void, restoration of the property to the trust and criminal proceedings under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against those allegedly involved. An intervener petition seeking a permanent stay on the Satara land transfer and the freezing of certain official positions is also pending hearing.

Kalkumbe denied the allegations and levelled counter-allegations against Gajbhiv, accusing him of unauthorised use of Salvation Army property. "We cannot do any deal without permission from the Charity Commissioner. We are following the compliance. The decisions were made by the council, not me," he said.

Agripada Police File Chargesheet In 2025 Byculla Building Collapse Case

Separately, Agripada Police have filed a charge sheet before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (46th Court, Mazgaon) in connection with the collapse at the Salvation Army premises on Sheikh Hafizuddin Marg, Byculla, on October 22, 2025.

According to a complaint filed by local mechanic Ayaz Ahmad Ansari, contractor Mohammad Faiyaz Usman Sheikh (59) was engaged to renovate a ground-floor hall for setting up a supermarket. The contractor allegedly cut structural pillars and made grooves in supporting walls without installing safety framing or shoring. The work reportedly continued despite warnings from local residents about the potential threat to the building's stability.

Worker Loses Foot After Collapse; Tenant Claims ₹76.94 Lakh Property Damage

During the incident, three rooms on the upper floors collapsed onto the hall. Worker Ghulam Rasul Sheikh (24), who was trapped under falling concrete slabs, sustained severe injuries and subsequently underwent surgical amputation of his foot during his 18-day hospitalisation at Nair Hospital. Another tenant, Umet Parmar, claimed that household belongings worth Rs 76.94 lakh were damaged.

The police investigation reportedly found that the Salvation Army had not obtained permission from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the structural alterations. The probe also found that no tendering process was followed and that the contract was directly awarded to Sheikh without verifying his engineering qualifications, background or previous work experience.

According to the police, internal supervision was assigned to Devdan Eknath Kalkumbe, secretary for business administration, and Major Ravindra Yosef Kharat, property secretary. Both allegedly failed to execute a formal contract or monitor the renovation work.

The police have charged the contractor and the two Salvation Army functionaries under Sections 125(a), 125(b) and 290, read with Section 3(5), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for alleged rash and negligent acts endangering human life and causing hurt and grievous hurt.

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