Supreme Court instructs Mumbai authorities to ensure that no untoward incident happens in connection with any hoardings, cites Ghatkopar tragedy

On June 07, 2024 (Friday), the Supreme Court (SC) of India was hearing a case regarding the application of certain provisions of the MMC Act (Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act) to hoardings on Railway land. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) filed the case, and the SC bench constituting Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice PB Varale heard the matter on Friday (June 07). The vacation bench instructed Mumbai authorities to prevent any untoward incidents related to hoardings in the city now that the monsoon season has begun. The order reads, “In the meanwhile, all the parties concerned, including the Railways, ensure that no untoward incident happens in connection with any hoardings, be it on Railway land or on anywhere. So whoever is in charge of whichever land, please see that nothing happens at least within a week, now that the monsoons have arrived.” While hearing the matter, the SC bench cited the recent Ghatkopar tragedy in Mumbai where an illegal hoarding collapsed resulting in the death of approximately 17 people and injuring several others. The SC scheduled the hearing of the matter for next week allowing respondents to file a response.