Even as the state government has expressed interest in conserving the 150-year-old Esplanade Mansion, the matter is yet to be decided in the Bombay High Court. After listening to the arguments during the hearing on Thursday, the bench decided that it would issue a set of points for further arguments by all the agencies involved in the next hearing on August 21.

Prakash Lad, the advocate representing Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) said amid the discussions about whether to restore the heritage structure or not, one cannot forget about the rights of the landlord or the tenants. "The building is owned by private individuals. The constitutional rights of the owner and the tenants also have to be considered," he added.