The Bombay High Court issued a strong and unequivocal warning to municipal corporations across Maharashtra, with particular emphasis on those functioning in the Thane and Palghar districts, instructing them to take immediate and effective action to rectify dangerous road conditions. The court made it clear that civic authorities would be held directly responsible for lapses in maintaining public infrastructure and could be compelled to pay compensation in cases where citizens suffer injuries or lose their lives due to potholes, damaged roads, or uncovered manholes.
On Monday, the High Court sharply reprimanded the municipal bodies of Thane and Palghar after taking note of multiple incidents linked to potholes and open manholes. The bench observed that if civic authorities failed to ensure safe and well-maintained roads, they would be legally obligated to compensate victims. The judges stressed that maintaining infrastructure was a fundamental duty of municipal corporations and that negligence in this regard would no longer be tolerated.
A division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Sandesh D. Patil made these observations while hearing a cluster of petitions concerning accidents, injuries, and fatalities attributed to poorly maintained roads and uncovered manholes. Expressing dissatisfaction with the functioning of civic bodies, the court remarked that if authorities failed to “keep their house in order,” the judiciary would be forced to intervene. The bench further stated that continued negligence would inevitably result in municipal corporations having to repeatedly compensate victims, underlining that the responsibility squarely rested with them.
During the proceedings, advocate Ruju Thakkar, who had intervened in the suo motu public interest litigation, informed the court that she had been systematically compiling data on such accidents as reported in newspapers. She pointed out that municipal corporations themselves should have been proactively monitoring and responding to these reports instead of relying on citizens or the judiciary to highlight recurring failures.
Thakkar drew the court’s attention to a recent and particularly disturbing incident in Thane, where a two-year-old child sustained serious injuries after accidentally falling into an uncovered stormwater chamber near Gnyansadhna College in Dharamveer Nagar. The chamber was reportedly around 20 feet deep, highlighting the grave risks posed by unattended civic hazards. She also referred to another tragic incident that occurred on November 23, 2025, in Palghar district, where a man lost his life, and his colleague was injured after their scooter struck a massive pothole on the road.
According to eyewitness accounts cited before the court, the two-wheeler lost balance immediately after hitting the pothole. As a result, Mahesh Desai, who worked as a manager with a private firm, fell onto the road and was tragically run over by a truck that was following behind, leading to his death.
The High Court noted that municipal corporations had already constituted committees tasked with examining such incidents. These committees were meant to ensure that victims or their families received compensation after a proper inquiry into the cause of the accident, and that officials found responsible for negligence were subjected to appropriate penalties.
Addressing a separate incident reported from Mumbai, advocate Anil Sakhare, appearing on behalf of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, informed the bench that preliminary information suggested the accident in question was caused by a collision with a dumper rather than a pothole. He assured the court that the BMC would place all relevant details on record through an affidavit at the next hearing.
Regarding the issue of an open manhole in Mulund, Sakhare submitted a photograph to demonstrate that the manhole had been covered. However, after examining the image, the bench observed that the cover itself appeared to be broken. In response, Sakhare assured the judges that necessary repairs would be carried out within the next 48 hours.
The High Court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter for January 7, 2026, indicating that it will continue to closely monitor the actions taken by municipal corporations to address these serious public safety concerns.
