Maharashtra Government Challenges High Court Order on Mira-Bhayander Land Dispute

The Maharashtra government is gearing up to challenge a Bombay High Court ruling that awarded nearly 254.88 acres of land in Mira-Bhayander, valued at hundreds of crores, to two builders. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced on Saturday that the land belongs to the state and that a Special Leave Petition (SLP) will be filed in the Supreme Court against the order.

On April 30, 2026, the High Court ruled in favor of The Estate Investment and Mira Real Estate Developers. Bawankule described the verdict as “unexpected” and emphasized that the land is the rightful property of the state government. He added that the government has issued urgent instructions to file an appeal in the Supreme Court and strongly present its case.

The land dispute dates back to 1948, when alleged changes were made to the revenue records of the 254.88-acre government land in Mouje Bhayander, Mira-Bhayander, without the state's approval. According to the government, the names “Estate Investment Company” and later “Mira Salt Works” were illegally entered into the records.

In 1958, after the land began being used for salt pans, the Central Government’s Salt Department was added to the records. The ownership dispute eventually reached the Supreme Court, which directed the parties to approach the Thane district collector. In 2002, the district collector rejected Mira Salt Company’s claim and ordered that the entire land be transferred to the government.

However, in 2019, the companies, along with the Central Government’s Salt Commissioner, challenged the order before the Bombay High Court. On April 30, the court dismissed the Salt Commissioner’s appeal and ruled that the land belonged to Mira Salt Works. Bawankule noted that the High Court proceedings were initially limited to the maintainability of the appeal, but the court decided the matter on the merits instead. This could allow the name of private developer Mira Real Estate Developers to remain in government land records.

“As the matter concerns public property and the legal rights of the government, the state has decided to seek urgent relief from the Supreme Court,” Bawankule said. He maintained that the land “unquestionably” belongs to the government and alleged that attempts were being made to grab public land by manipulating revenue records.

“We will strongly present the government’s case in the Supreme Court and ensure that this land remains under government possession,” he added. Bawankule also cited Section 29(3)(c) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, in support of the state’s ownership claim.