Supreme Court freezes BMC chief’s salary over Borivali land

The Supreme Court froze the November salaries of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and other civic officials, issued Bhide a show-cause notice in contempt proceedings and rejected the corporation’s request for 30 more days to clear encroachments from land in Borivali. The court also ordered the BMC to pay Rs 5 lakh in costs. The hearing took place on Tuesday, November 3. The bench said the salaries would remain withheld until the show-cause notice was decided and its directions were followed. Justice Joymalya Bagchi told the court that Bhide would not draw a salary until December 1 unless the directions were complied with. The notice asks Bhide to explain why contempt action should not be taken against her; it is not a finding that she is guilty of contempt. The case concerns a plot reserved for a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport bus facility in Borivali. In August 2025, the Supreme Court directed a private developer to hand over the land to the BMC and ordered the civic body to remove encroachments and make the facility operational within three months. The court had also sought a personal affidavit from the commissioner detailing...