In Mumbai, seized or abandoned vehicles can't be dumped in public places: Bombay High Court

Bombay High Court orders strict disposal of abandoned vehicles in Mumbai to prevent encroachment on public spaces.

“Mumbai’s streets, gasping for space, can no longer double as graveyards for abandoned vehicles,” the Bombay High Court has said with a clear order to all police stations for strict implementation of the traffic police’s directives for disposal of such vehicles.

A Bench of Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Advait Sethna said mere dumping of such vehicles at a dumping yard won’t suffice and called for continuous action to dispose of them. The order was passed on May 8, 2025.

"In a city like Mumbai, which has an acute scarcity of space and limited space on public roads and footpaths, such public spaces cannot be encroached by dumping or storing vehicles seized or confiscated by the police," the Bench said.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Marathon Maxima Co-op Housing Society, which raised concerns about parking/dumping of towed or confiscated vehicles by a nearby police station outside the society's gates, causing obstruction.

The additional commissioner of police, Traffic Department, in an affidavit, said “a communication was issued to all police stations across the city last month, advising that all abandoned or confiscated vehicles shall be moved to a dumping yard.”

The Bench urged the State Government to identify convenient locations in each civic ward to dump confiscated or seized vehicles.

"Merely dumping of the vehicles at the dumping site would not suffice. In the event these vehicles are no longer required, a continuous action is required to be taken to dispose of these vehicles, for which appropriate advisory needs to be issued," the court said.