Bombay High Court Orders Complete Street Clearance in Mumbai by September 2

The Bombay High Court, in an urgent hearing today, directed that Mumbai streets blocked by Maratha quota protesters must be fully vacated by Tuesday noon, emphasising that large-scale obstruction of public roads cannot be sustained.

The court’s ruling comes amid escalating disruptions across the city and underscores its insistence on restoring normalcy without delay.

A special bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad noted that the protest at Azad Maidan, led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil, had transgressed the boundaries of permitted peaceful demonstration and disrupted essential civic functioning.

The court described the situation as “grim,” observing that Mumbai had been effectively brought to a standstill, with key locations like Marine Drive, CSMT, and the High Court premises blocked. It noted that the earlier order dated August 26, 2025, appeared to have been disregarded and observed that the agitators had seemingly breached the conditions under which they were initially permitted to demonstrate, adding that they no longer held any valid permission to continue the protest.

The bench instructed the state to act in accordance with the Public Meeting and Agitation Rules, 2025, stressing that it was imperative to restore normal life in Mumbai and ensure the city was not paralyzed, particularly in view of the ongoing Ganpati festival.

It thus granted the protesters an opportunity to rectify the situation by vacating roads by Tuesday noon, while warning that failure to comply would leave the state free to take necessary action.

The Maratha quota agitation, seeking reservation in government jobs and education, entered its fourth day today, drawing approximately 35,000-45,000 supporters to Azad Maidan.

The scale of the sit in has caused severe traffic snarls affecting bus services and commuter flows around South Mumbai transit hubs, including CSMT and Churchgate.

Patil has escalated the protest by announcing he would stop drinking water, intensifying concern over both civic disruption and protester welfare.

Order date: September 1, 2025

Bench: Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad