Mumbai BMC Replaces Law Department In-Charge After Supreme Court Action Over Borivali East Encroachments

Mumbai: In the wake of the Supreme Court's (SC) action against Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide over encroachments in Borivli East, the civic body has handed over charge of its Law Department to Joint Law Officer Sukhshri Modle, replacing Komal Punjabi.

Long-Running Dispute Over Bus Station PlotA plot opposite Borivli railway station, originally reserved for a BEST bus station, has been embroiled in litigation since 1986, following a development agreement with a private builder. The prolonged dispute saw the land gradually become encroached upon. On August 13, 2025, the SC ordered the removal of encroachments and directed the BMC to operationalise the bus station within three months. Reiterating its directives, the SC extended the deadline to July 28, 2026.

Gokul Dairy Chairman Post Deadlock Continues As Hasan Mushrif Proposes Power-Sharing Formula To Satej PatilSupreme Court Action Against BMCDespite repeated SC directives, no action was taken. Punjabi was heading the Law Department when the apex court, on Tuesday, slammed the BMC, froze the November salary of the civic chief and issued a contempt notice over the failure to clear encroachments from a Borivli East plot.

Punjabi's handling of the case had upset the civic administration and standing committee members. The administration also felt it was not adequately briefed on the developments,” said a senior civic official.