Sharp observations and visible concern marked the proceedings at the Bombay High Court on Wednesday as the bench took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of growing garbage problems in Nagpur.
Hearing the matter at the Nagpur Bench, Justices Anil S. Kilor and Raj D. Wakode expressed dissatisfaction over the city’s sanitation condition despite large public spending on cleanliness.
The matter has now been registered as a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation (SMPIL) titled Court’s on its own motion vs. The State of Maharashtra.
Read also:- Bombay HC Disposes Unmarried Woman’s Abortion Plea, Cites Supreme Court Ruling on MTP Rights
Background of the Case
The issue came before the court after multiple news reports highlighted uncollected garbage across Nagpur. Newspapers such as Lokmat and Sakal carried stories showing heaps of waste lying in different parts of the city.
The reports also referred to the financial allocation of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. According to the published figures, the civic body has an annual budget of ₹100 crore for garbage collection and spends approximately ₹8 crore every month for maintaining cleanliness.
Despite this significant expenditure, the ground reality appears otherwise.
Read also:- Calcutta High Court Refuses to Quash Forgery Case Linked to 1963 Land Deed, Orders Police Prob
Court’s Observations
The bench did not mince words.
“Though we see hoardings and writings on the walls giving a slogan ‘Clean Nagpur, Beautiful Nagpur’, in reality it has remained a slogan only,” the court observed during the hearing.
The judges noted that garbage is visible “at numerous places” across the city, creating serious hygiene issues. They pointed out that such conditions are not merely inconvenient but pose potential health risks to residents.
“There is a lot of problem therefore, of hygiene and cleanliness,” the bench remarked, adding that unattended garbage can lead to public health complications.
Taking note of the seriousness of the issue, the court said that the matter was of public importance and required judicial scrutiny.
Read also:- Bombay High Court Flags Flawed Tree-Felling Notices, Closes Pune Coconut Trees Case
Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation
Considering the widespread impact on citizens, the bench decided to treat the news articles as a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation.
In simple terms, this means the court initiated the case on its own without waiting for any individual to file a petition. The power to take such action is used when issues affect a large section of the public and demand urgent attention.
The case has been registered as Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation No. 11 of 2026.
Shri S. M. Ukey, Additional Government Pleader, appeared for the State, while Shri S. M. Puranik represented the Nagpur Municipal Corporation during the hearing.
Appointment of Amicus Curiae
To ensure structured proceedings, the court appointed Advocate Shri Y. N. Sambre as Amicus Curiae. An Amicus Curiae is a lawyer appointed by the court to assist it in matters involving public interest.
The bench directed him to draft a proper petition in accordance with the Public Interest Litigation Rules of 2010, highlighting the issues raised in the news reports.
The Registry was instructed to provide all relevant papers to the appointed counsel for preparing the petition.
Read also:- Karnataka High Court Quashes Cheque Bounce Conviction After Finding Serious Gaps in Trial
The Court’s Direction
After issuing the above directions, the bench listed the matter for further consideration on February 24, 2026.
The court will now examine the issue in greater detail once the formal petition is placed on record.
For now, the High Court’s message was clear: civic slogans must translate into visible results on the ground.
Case Title: Court’s on its own motion vs. The State of Maharashtra
Case No.: Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation No. 11 of 2026
Decision Date: February 10, 2026
