The Bombay High Court has directed civic bodies and State agencies to pay ₹6 lakh compensation to families of victims who die due to pothole-related accidents, and between ₹50,000 and ₹2.5 lakh for injuries, depending on severity. A Division Bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh D. Patil, in an order passed on October 13, also fixed personal liability on senior officials for delays and revived a decade-old suo motu Public Interest Litigation under the principle of “continuing mandamus” to monitor compliance.
The PIL originated in 2013 from a letter by Justice G.S. Patel to the Chief Justice, highlighting the “pathetic condition of roads” and fatalities caused by potholes. Despite repeated directions since 2015, the Bench noted, “nothing much has changed,” and potholes continue to claim lives every monsoon. “There can be no justification whatsoever for bad and unsafe roads,” the court said, adding that Mumbai, as India’s financial capital, cannot afford civic apathy when crores are collected through tolls and taxes. It pointed out that the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is one of the richest corporations in Asia, yet “the condition of the roads continues to deteriorate every monsoon.”
