Can you imagine getting a nearly 5,000-sq-ft space in Bandra's upscale Pali Hill for less than a rupee per square foot? Turns out, all you have to do is ask, and you shall receive — at least that's what happened with Shiv Sena deputy leader Vijay Kadam, whose academy was allotted the premium property for a pittance. But, Kadam's powers of persuasion will likely fall flat before alert locals, who have obtained a stay on the deal from the high court.

When Pali Hill residents discovered that the BMC had quietly decided to give a 4,978-square-foot community centre to the Shiv Vidya Prabodhini Balasaheb Thackeray IAS Academy for just Rs 3,855 in monthly license fees, they immediately moved the Bombay High Court to stall the process.