The Supreme Court has ordered the withholding of salaries for multiple BMC officials, including Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, due to failure to comply with directions to remove encroachments from a bus stand plot.
The Supreme Court took a stern stance on Tuesday against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over encroachments on a plot earmarked for a bus stand in Borivali. The court directed that the salaries of not only BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide but also other unspecified officials be withheld until December 1. This decision was made while hearing a case about the civic body's failure to comply with its directions to remove encroachments from the designated land.
The court initiated contempt proceedings against Bhide, issuing a show cause notice asking why action should not be taken against her. It is unclear who the other officials are that have been affected by this salary withholding order.
The court also rejected the commissioner’s request for more time to comply with earlier orders and imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the municipal corporation.
The land in Borivali has been at the centre of a dispute between the municipal corporation and a private developer for several years. In an order passed in August 2025, the Supreme Court directed the developer to hand over possession of the 3,400 square metre-plot to the municipal corporation.
The court had asked the municipal corporation to make the bus stand functional within three months and continue taking steps to remove encroachments from the property. In November 2025, the court raised concern that the municipal authorities had not removed the encroachments and sought a personal affidavit from Bhide detailing who was occupying the property, eviction notices issued to them, and any claims of tenancy or ownership.
Bhide was appointed commissioner in March this year.
Source:
Scroll.in
