Bombay HC dismisses pleas challenging Shinde government’s decision to reduce number of wards in BMC

Bombay HC dismissed two pleas challenging the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government’s decision of reduce the number of wards at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from 236 to 227.

The Bombay High Court dismissed two pleas challenging the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government’s decision of reduce the number of wards at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from 236 to 227.

A division Bench of Justices S.B. Shukre and M.W. Chandwani was hearing two petitions filed by two former BMC councillors Raju Pednekar and Sameer Desai challenging the ordinance passed by Shinde government and claimed that it sought to put the clock back.

The Bench dismissed the pleas and said, it found no substance in the petitions.

In November 2021, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray had increased the number of BMC wards from 227 to 236.

However, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government in August 2022 issued an ordinance bringing the number back to 227.

The public prosecutor had opposed the petitions alleging that the pleas were filed with “ulterior motives” and ought to be dismissed with exemplary cost.

The government had argued that it felt that the number of wards need not be increased, as the population rise was miniscule.