Supreme Court freezes BMC commissioner salary over Mumbai encroachments
The apex court penalised the civic body ₹5 lakh and warned officials of jail time over failure to clear land for a Borivali bus station.
The Supreme Court has taken a decisive stance to enforce public accountability and expedite civic infrastructure delivery, freezing the monthly salary of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and initiating contempt proceedings over the civic body's failure to clear illegal encroachments from municipal land in Mumbai.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana refused to grant the civic body an additional 30 days to clear the site in Borivali. The court ordered the municipal body to pay ₹5 lakh in costs and restrained the Maharashtra government from releasing the monthly salaries of the commissioner and her personal staff until full compliance is achieved.
Explaining the firm stance, the bench observed that municipal authorities had committed a deliberate and mischievous breach of time-bound directions issued on 13 November 2025 and 28 July 2026. Chief Justice Kant remarked during the hearing that the court was satisfied civic officials had acted in connivance with encroachers, warning that responsible personnel could face imprisonment if directions were ignored further. Justice Bagchi highlighted that no salary would be drawn until the show-cause notice was resolved, instructing officials to complete the eviction before December 2026.
The dispute centers on a prime site earmarked for a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) public bus station. The Supreme Court had previously directed a private developer in August 2025 to hand over vacant possession of the land to the BMC, giving the municipal corporation three months to clear all remaining structures. Despite explicit directions, civic authorities delayed execution, prompting the court to demand personal accountability from top administrators.
Key Supreme Court proceedings at a glance
| Case or matter | Primary issue | Key direction or status |
|---|---|---|
| BMC Encroachment | Clearing Borivali BEST bus station land | Salary frozen, ₹5 lakh cost, contempt notice issued |
| Tarun Tejpal Appeal | Interim bail plea for Deepavali | Adjourned to 5 November 2026 |
| Goa ST Reservation | HC stay on ST population calculation | Goa government moving SC to vacate stay |
In other legal developments before the top court, a bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale adjourned to 5 November the interim bail application of former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, who is seeking temporary release for Deepavali. Tejpal was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Bombay High Court in August 2026 after it set aside his 2021 acquittal in a 2013 sexual assault case.
Meanwhile, the Goa government announced plans to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court this week to challenge a Bombay High Court order that halted the identification of Scheduled Tribe population figures. State officials seek to vacate the stay to ensure political reservation for the ST community across four assembly constituencies ahead of the 2027 state elections.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BMC fine imposed | ₹5 lakh | Supreme Court order |
| Salary suspension cutoff | 1 December 2026 | Justice Joymalya Bagchi |
| Tejpal prison sentence | 10 years | Bombay High Court judgment |
| Proposed ST reserved seats in Goa | 4 assembly constituencies | Goa state government officials |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court of India | Issued contempt orders against BMC chief and heard major national cases. |
| Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation | Municipal authority fined for failing to clear public land encroachments. |
| Ashwini Bhide | BMC Commissioner whose salary was frozen by the Supreme Court. |
| Surya Kant | Chief Justice of India heading the bench on the BMC contempt matter. |
