Mumbai, January 23, 2026 : The Bombay High Court on Friday issued a stern warning to civic authorities in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, indicating that it may stop the salaries of top municipal officials for their continued failure to effectively control worsening air pollution levels in the region.
Hearing a suo motu public interest matter on air quality, the court sharply criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation for what it described as a lack of genuine and sincere measures to address the problem. The bench observed that pollution levels had remained high despite repeated directions and that meaningful action appeared to have begun only after court intervention.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Suman Shyam expressed particular displeasure with the conduct of the Navi Mumbai civic administration. The court noted that the NMMC Commissioner failed to file a personal affidavit as earlier directed, delegating the task instead to a city engineer. The affidavit submitted was found to be unsatisfactory and reflective of disregard for court orders.
During the proceedings, the bench recorded that it was considering passing coercive directions, including an order restraining the NMMC Commissioner from drawing his salary until further orders. The court also made it clear that similar action could be extended to the BMC Commissioner if compliance and results were not forthcoming.
Senior Advocate appearing for the BMC submitted a status report claiming enforcement action against construction sites violating pollution control norms. However, the judges pointed out that the report itself showed that steps were initiated only after court orders, questioning what preventive measures had been taken over the past several months.
The court also heard submissions highlighting that hundreds of construction sites were operating without mandatory sensor-based air quality monitoring systems, and that many installed devices were not connected to the central monitoring dashboard. Concerns were raised about the impact of polluted air on children, senior citizens and other vulnerable groups.
Emphasising administrative accountability, the bench said it could not continue merely recording status reports while conditions on the ground deteriorated. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board was directed to propose strong and workable solutions, including seeking court permission to impose substantial fines on violators, particularly at construction sites.
Clarifying its stand, the court stated that while salaries were not being stopped immediately, the proposal had been formally recorded and would be considered seriously at the next hearing. The matter has been listed for detailed hearing on January 27, when further orders are expected.
