The Bombay High Court has dismissed two public interest litigations (PILs) opposing the commercial development of 24 acres of reclaimed land in Bandra by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The land, originally allocated for the Bandra–Worli Sea Link project, is now slated for commercial use in partnership with Adani Properties.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne ruled that the environmental restrictions imposed under the 1999 and 2000 clearances—prohibiting residential or commercial use of reclaimed land—no longer apply, as the land currently lies outside the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) under the revised 2019 framework.

The court clarified that the conditions tied to the earlier CRZ regime were not perpetual and ceased to apply once the 2019 Coastal Zone Management Plan reclassified the area. It observed that doctrines such as public trust and non-regression could not supersede explicit statutory changes or updated clearances, including the latest approval granted in 2025 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

The PILs were filed by activist Zoru Bhathena and the Bandra Reclamation Area Volunteers Organization (BRAVO), who argued that the land was reclaimed on the strict condition that it would remain open space for public use and never be commercially exploited. They cited the April 2000 MoEF clearance, particularly Condition (viii), which explicitly prohibited any residential or commercial construction on the 27-hectare reclaimed stretch.

However, the court found that these conditions were enforceable only under the CRZ notifications effective at the time. With the current CRZ rules excluding the land in question from their purview, the restrictions were deemed inapplicable. Thus, there is no legal bar preventing MSRDC from moving forward with its commercial development plans.

In response to the verdict, Bhathena expressed disappointment, stating that Mumbai—where open space availability stands at just 1.1 square metres per person, compared to the recommended 10 square metres—is at risk of losing yet another vital green area. He warned that the judgement sets a precedent that could affect other reclaimed spaces, including the Coastal Road project.

Bhathena confirmed plans to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court, criticising what he described as the government’s broader intention to commercially exploit reclaimed land under the guise of infrastructure development.