On May 5, 2025, the Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to investigate the legality of a madrassa constructed on land in Oshiwara, Jogeshwari (West), originally reserved for a school playground. The court instructed the Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) of the K (West) ward to conduct a survey of the site, provide an opportunity for all parties to present their claims, and determine whether the construction is unauthorized. If found illegal, the BMC is mandated to take appropriate action, including demolition, with police protection if necessary.

The directive came in response to a public interest litigation filed by activist Kunickaa Sadanand, who highlighted that the land, handed over to the BMC in December 1981 and officially demarcated as a playground in 2015, had been encroached upon by the Markazul Ma’Arif Education and Research Centre. While the Centre claimed the structure was regularized by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Sadanand contended that the BMC, as the current planning authority, failed in its statutory duty to prevent unauthorized constructions.

The court emphasized that “nobody has a right to encroach upon public land” and scheduled the parties to appear before the AMC on May 14, with the entire exercise to be completed within 10 weeks from that date.

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