Supreme Court Freezes BMC Chief Ashwini Bhide’s Salary Over Borivali Encroachments, Fines Rs 5 Lakhs
New Delhi, 4th November 2026: The Supreme Court has ordered the withholding of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide’s November salary, along with serval other civic officials, and initiated contempt proceedings against her over the failure to remove encroachments from land reserved for a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus station in Borivali, Mumbai.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana rejected the civic body’s request for an additional 30 days to comply with its earlier directions. The court also imposed costs of Rs 5 lakh on the BMC.
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The bench issued a show-cause notice to Bhide, asking her to explain why contempt action should not be taken against her for alleged wilful disobedience of the court’s orders. It directed that her salary and payments to her personal staff be withheld until the contempt petition is decided.
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The case concerns a 3,400-square-metre plot earmarked for a public bus facility. In August 2025, the Supreme Court directed the private developer to hand over vacant possession of the land to the civic body and instructed the BMC to take over the project and make the bus station operational. On July 28, 2026, the court reiterated its directions, giving the civic body three months to clear the remaining encroachments and submit a compliance report.
During the latest hearing, the BMC sought more time, citing civil court proceedings initiated by occupants and the need to translate documents from Marathi into English. The bench rejected these explanations, noting that the absence of an interim stay from the civil court did not prevent the corporation from proceeding with eviction in accordance with the law.
The judges also questioned whether civic officials were colluding with those occupying the land and criticised the continued failure to implement the court’s directions. The proceedings follow earlier concerns raised by the Supreme Court over the BMC’s handling of the encroachment-removal process.
The salary freeze and show-cause notice place the civic administration under further pressure to comply with the court’s orders. The contempt proceedings will determine the next steps against the commissioner, while the BMC remains responsible for clearing the land and facilitating the proposed public transport facility.
