Bombay High Court Pulls Up BMC Over Garbage and poor hygiene across Mumbai, telling the civic body that the Court sees no improvement and directing it to file a ward-wise affidavit on the steps taken.
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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for failing to take effective measures to maintain health and hygiene in all 24 wards of the city, and asked it to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken in each ward to stop dumping of waste on streets, hill slopes and pavements [Kannamwar Co-op Hsg Soc Association v. Union of India].
A Division Bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale said it was widening the scope of the petition, which concerned the Kanjurmarg dumping ground facility, so that it would also monitor health and hygiene across the city’s wards.
The Bench’s own observations
The Bench said that waste dumping on streets and open spaces continued even though the BMC had earlier placed a detailed plan before the Court. The judges said that, while travelling to Uttan in Mira-Bhayander, they had themselves passed through the western suburbs and seen garbage and filth on streets, footpaths and open spaces. They identified Jogeshwari and Malad as among the worst areas.
Senior Advocate Anil Sakhare, appearing for the BMC, cited Supreme Court orders and said the corporation regularly monitors cleanliness. The Bench responded that the Supreme Court had not barred it from passing orders or monitoring cleanliness in the city, and that clean areas such as Worli, Nariman Point and South Bombay did not show that the whole city was clean. Justice Kulkarni remarked:
“We don’t find much improvement on health standards.”
The Bench described dumping as a local issue and the corporation’s responsibility, adding that it did not see any improvement in the situation. It flagged problem areas including the K West, K North and K South wards, parts of Malad and Jogeshwari, and complaints about the area near Ram Mandir station. It also asked what the BMC had done under the Swachhata Abhiyan launched on October 2.
The directions
The Court directed the BMC to file an affidavit setting out the steps taken in each ward to maintain health and hygiene and to prevent dumping on streets, hill slopes and pavements. Ward officers are to be called before the Court. The BMC must also place data from KEM Hospital and other civic and State-run hospitals on patients admitted with contagious diseases, dengue, malaria and H1N1.
The matter has been adjourned to October 22, when the affidavit and the hospital data are expected to be before the Bench.
Why the order matters
The Bench has turned a petition about one dumping ground into continuing supervision of ward-level sanitation, and has tied cleanliness to public health by asking for hospital data on contagious diseases. By calling ward officers and seeking a ward-wise account, the Court has moved the question from city-wide assurances to specific localities.
The Court’s observations were made orally and at a hearing stage. The BMC’s response on affidavit is yet to be filed, and the Court has not recorded final findings.
Case Title: Kannamwar Co-op Hsg Soc Association v. Union of India [Writ Petition No. 790 of 2018]
Bench: Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale, Bombay High Court
Date of Hearing: October 7, 2026
Appearances: Anil Sakhare, Senior Advocate, for the BMC