Alleging that the Bombay High Court offered “incomplete justice” in an over ₹190 crore illegal quarrying case within a protected ecological zone, residents of Chinchavli village in Maharashtra’s Thane district have moved the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s July 1, 2025, judgment.
Filed by Nandakumar Waman Pawar, a 63-year-old environmental activist, and Bhagawan Walku Waraghada, a 30-year-old tribal resident of Chinchavli, the Special Leave Petition (SLP) contends that the Bombay High Court’s order, while acknowledging environmental violations, failed to ensure meaningful accountability or restitution for the damage caused by over 17 years of illegal mining and blasting inside the Matheran Eco-Sensitive Zone (MESZ).
The petition urges the apex court to uphold the “polluter pays” principle under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and argues that monetary penalties imposed under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC) cannot replace mandatory environmental compensation, ecological restoration, or deterrent sanctions needed to prevent future violations.
For nearly two decades, tribal residents of Chinchavli have lived under a cloud of dust, noise of explosives used to blast rocks as rampant quarrying scarred the hills, contaminated the air and water, and triggered multiple health complications. Earlier this year, on January 19, 2025, The Hindu had reported on the long-standing mining activity and its toll on the village, drawing attention to the human and ecological costs.
