The Supreme Court has frozen the November salary of Ashwini Bhide, Mumbai civic chief and other officials after finding that orders to clear encroachments from a plot of public land in Borivali had still not been carried out.
The court also began contempt proceedings against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), signalling its serious displeasure with the continued delay.
In addition, it imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the civic body and refused its request for extra time.
The dispute centres on land reserved for a BEST bus station in Borivali. Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed that the plot be handed over to the BMC and ordered authorities to remove all encroachments within three months so that the bus station could become operational.
However, months after the deadline, the land had not been fully cleared. This failure became the primary reason for the salary freeze. The court said its directions had not been implemented despite repeated opportunities and questioned whether officials were deliberately delaying action.
Judges also expressed concern that some officials may have been helping or protecting encroachers by slowing down the process. The court viewed the continued non-compliance as a serious breach of its orders and warned of stronger action if directions were not followed.
The BMC sought a further 30-day extension to complete the eviction process, but the court rejected the request, stating that enough time had already been provided. The judges were also unconvinced by explanations offered by the civic body regarding administrative and language-related difficulties.
The salary freeze will remain in place until the court reviews the contempt proceedings and is satisfied that its earlier orders have been fully implemented.
The case highlights the judiciary’s growing willingness to hold senior public officials personally accountable for delays in executing court orders.
