37 beneficiaries of Jogeshwari home for the blind say nothing has changed a month after court order

A month after the disability court ordered the revival of three key activities at the Manchherji Nowroji Banaji (MN Banaji) Industrial Home for the Blind in Jogeshwari, 37 beneficiaries of the institution allege that nothing has changed in practice. They say they are still deprived of the services they should receive for rehabilitation and self-reliance.

Vikas Gote, a complainant in the case and one of the 37 beneficiaries, has raised a question. "The court has appointed an officer and given the officer a year to resolve administrative matters and to inquire into why the institution has not run properly for nearly twenty years. But even while the inquiry is on, the officer can start the three activities for which the institution was set up. We have already waited a long time for our rights. When the inquiry and the revival of the institution can happen at the same time, why should we wait another year?" he said.

Vishal Lohar, another complainant, lived in the institution's working hostel in 2024. He asked why the activities are shut despite the building and facilities being available and government funds being at hand. "The facilities are there, and so is the government grant of Rs 19 lakh sanctioned in 2022. Then why do we still have to fend for ourselves?" he said.

Sanjay Honmane, a beneficiary of the working hostel, Lohar and Milind Dange, who stayed there in 2024, want all three activities to resume immediately. They are supported by advocate Dr Uday Warunjikar and former beneficiary Pankaj Chaudhari. Chaudhari has backed the visually impaired residents since the dispute began in 2010.

The sequence of the dispute is as follows. The home for the blind was established in 1956. The dispute began in 2010, when the earlier trustees approached the Leave and Licence court and the Bombay High Court seeking to have the premises vacated. In 2012, the court asked the trustees to work with the residents and resolve their grievances. In 2015, the original trustees resigned.

In 2016, the High Court handed the management of the institution to the NAB in Worli and ordered the activities to be restarted. The beneficiaries claim that the government sanctioned a grant of Rs 19 lakh in 2022. They also allege that on February 9, 2024, 23 visually impaired trainees were removed from the working hostel and each was given Rs 40,800.

The beneficiaries also say the institution's registration certificate expired on April 1, 2025. In July 2026, the disability secretariat asked the trustees to submit an explanation.