Bombay High Court extends the tenure of its interim order on eviction and demolition till December 21

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has extended the tenure of its interim orders relating to a stay on eviction, demolition and dispossession till December 22 in Maharashtra and Goa. This order is also extended for all such orders passed by the subordinate courts.

On Thursday, a four-judge division bench headed by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta while extending a relief observed that, although the situation in the State of Maharashtra because of the pandemic has improved over the last few days, access to the courts of law is yet not free. Other three judges were Justice AA Sayed, Justice SS Shinde and Justice KK Tated.

“To ensure that persons suffering orders of dispossession, demolition, eviction, etc., passed by public authorities are not inconvenienced by reason of disability to approach the Courts of law because of the restrictions as to movements imposed by the State Government as well as the requirement to maintain social distancing norms, we consider it just and proper to extend the interim orders passed by this court on this writ petition till December 22 or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” said the court in its two-page order.


Earlier, at the beginning of the lockdown, in March the court had directed all Municipal Commissioners of all the Municipal Corporations in Maharashtra to consider issuing a general directive not to demolish, evict or hold auctions of attached properties for a specified period. Subsequently, the order was extended twice as the lockdown was extended too.

Referring to that order, the court also said that, Orders or decree for eviction, dispossession, demolition already passed by any court/Tribunal/Authority shall also remain in abeyance till then.