In a significant move, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday stayed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) demolition drive against kabutar khanas (pigeon feeding zones) across Mumbai, offering temporary relief to animal lovers. The court also issued notices to the BMC and the Animal Welfare Board of India, seeking their responses, and directed that the Dean of KEM Hospital be included as a party in the ongoing litigation.
The bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor was hearing a petition filed by three Mumbai-based citizens—Pallavi Patil, Sneha Visaria, and Savita Mahajan—who alleged that the BMC’s sudden demolition campaign, which began on July 3, had no legal backing and was resulting in mass starvation and the extermination of pigeons. The petition cited violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Filed through advocates Harish Pandya and Dhruv Jain, the plea argued that kabutar khanas, some of which are over a hundred years old, are part of Mumbai’s ecological and cultural heritage. The petitioners said the BMC, accompanied by police, not only demolished pigeon feeding spots but also fined citizens up to ₹10,000 for feeding birds—without showing any legal notification authorising the crackdown.
“It is our moral and constitutional duty to care for these birds. With human encroachment destroying natural habitats, the remaining designated feeding areas are vital for their survival,” the petition stated. It also invoked constitutional rights under Articles 14, 21, and 51A(g), asserting that the civic body’s actions infringed upon the right to life, equality, and the duty to protect the environment.
The petitioners requested permission to feed the pigeons twice daily. However, the court declined interim relief at this stage, stating, “In view of the policy now sought to be implemented by the Municipal Corporation considering human health to be paramount, we are not inclined to grant any ad-interim order.”
The bench added that all parties must be heard before further directions are issued. The BMC and other respondents have been asked to file their replies before the next hearing, scheduled for July 23.
