Mon May 19 10:40:57 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
The Bombay High Court has issued a strong directive to Mumbai police stations to rigorously enforce traffic police regulations regarding the disposal of abandoned and confiscated vehicles. The court emphasized that simply moving these vehicles to dumping yards is insufficient and demanded continuous action for their disposal. This order comes in response to concerns raised by a housing society about vehicles obstructing public spaces near their property. The court also instructed the State Government to designate convenient dumping locations in each civic ward and warned that failure to comply with the directives would result in departmental action against responsible officers.
**News Article:**
**Mumbai High Court Orders Strict Enforcement of Vehicle Disposal, Cites Space Crunch**
**Mumbai, May 19, 2025:** The Bombay High Court has issued a stern directive to Mumbai police stations, demanding strict adherence to traffic police regulations concerning the disposal of abandoned and confiscated vehicles. Citing the city’s acute space scarcity, the court emphasized that Mumbai’s streets can no longer be used as “graveyards” for these vehicles.
A bench of Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Advait Sethna stated that merely relocating the vehicles to dumping yards is not enough, calling for continuous action to dispose of them permanently. The order was prompted by a petition from the Marathon Maxima Co-op Housing Society, which complained about the obstruction caused by vehicles parked or dumped by a nearby police station outside their property.
The court criticized the practice of using public roads and footpaths for storage of confiscated vehicles, emphasizing that such spaces cannot be encroached upon. The additional commissioner of police, Traffic Department, affirmed in an affidavit that a communication had been sent to all police stations advising them to move such vehicles to dumping yards.
The High Court has urged the State Government to identify accessible locations in each civic ward to dump confiscated or seized vehicles. The court has scheduled a further hearing on July 2, 2025, requesting the Traffic Department to outline their long-term solution for the issues raised. The court further warned that non-compliance with the directives would result in departmental action against the concerned officer.
Notably, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has awarded a contract to a private company to identify and scrap abandoned vehicles, as stated in the traffic police’s affidavit. The High Court clarified that its orders should be strictly followed and implemented by the police stations, with any breach resulting in appropriate departmental action.
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