Nagpur: In a major setback for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday put an immediate stay on the civic body’s fresh tender process for advertising hoardings on footpaths, reiterating its ban on such encroachments.
The court’s intervention came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Citizen Forum for Equality, led by Madhukar Kukde, through advocate Tushar Mandlekar. The petition pointed out the blatant obstruction of pedestrian pathways by hoardings, posing serious safety risks.
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Wednesday March 2025
A division bench comprising Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Vrushali Joshi grilled the NMC on its decision to allow footpath hoardings despite previous court orders prohibiting them. The bench strongly criticized the civic body for attempting to sidestep legal directives and warned of potential contempt proceedings if violations persisted.
In response to the court’s inquiry, NMC’s Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Milind Meshram submitted an affidavit justifying the tender process, stating that hoarding installations were carried out only after obtaining structural design and stability certificates from engineers, as per State Urban Development Department norms.
The court outright rejected this argument, emphasizing that placing hoardings along footpaths is a direct violation of earlier rulings. The bench ordered the NMC to submit a compliance report within two weeks, making it clear that footpath hoardings will remain banned under all circumstances.
The court also recalled a landmark ruling by former Justice JN Patel, which had categorically prohibited such encroachments. The petitioner further reminded the bench that Supreme Court Justice Bhushan Gavai, in his earlier role as government pleader, had assured the court that footpath hoardings would be discontinued—a promise the NMC is now accused of breaking.
This latest ruling delivers a hammer blow to the civic body’s contentious advertising plans, reaffirming the judiciary’s firm stance against encroachments that compromise public safety.
