PILs Opposing MSRDC’s Bandra Reclamation Project Dismissed, Clearing Path For commercial Development Of Plot

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (26 August) dismissed two public interest litigations (PILs) challenging the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation’s (MSRDC) proposal to commercially develop 24 acres of reclaimed land at Bandra, paving the way for the project to proceed in partnership with Adani Properties, Hindustan Times reported.

The land was originally reclaimed for the construction of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

A division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne ruled that restrictions contained in the 1999 and 2000 environmental clearances for the sea link project, barring residential or commercial use of reclaimed areas, no longer apply, since the land now falls outside the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) under the 2019 framework.

The petitions, filed by activist Zoru Bhathena and the Bandra Reclamation Area Volunteers Organisation (BRAVO), had argued that the land was reclaimed on the explicit assurance that it would remain a public green space and should not be exploited commercially.

They relied on a 2000 Ministry of Environment and Forests clearance condition stating that “no portion of the reclaimed area should be used for residential/commercial purposes,” It said.

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The court held that those restrictions were linked to the CRZ regime in force at the time and did not extend beyond it.

With updated notifications and Coastal Zone Management Plans placing the land outside the CRZ, the judges found no legal impediment to MSRDC’s development plans.

The ruling also noted that doctrines such as the public trust doctrine could not override express statutory frameworks. A 2025 clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change further strengthened MSRDC’s case.

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