Supreme Court Initiates Contempt Proceedings Against MP Government Over Bhopal Sealing Drive

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Supreme Court on Wednesday initiated contempt proceedings against the Madhya Pradesh government over its decision to halt the Bhopal Municipal Corporation's (BMC) sealing drive against illegal commercial establishments operating from residential areas after constituting a 10-member high-level committee.

Hearing the matter, a Bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan expressed strong displeasure over the state's decision, observing that the government could not stall enforcement of the Court's earlier directions through an administrative committee.

The controversy stems from the state government's August 2 decision to form a 10-member committee to examine occupancy violations in Bhopal's built-up areas and recommend a policy framework balancing environmental concerns and public interest.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and attended by Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal, Ministers Vishwas Sarang and Krishna Gaur, MLAs Rameshwar Sharma and Bhagwandas Sabnani, BMC Commissioner Sanskriti Jain, Bhopal Collector Priyank Mishra and other senior officials.

The committee was tasked with examining compliance with the Supreme Court's directions in Civil Appeal No. 14604/2024 and Miscellaneous Application Diary No. 17103/2026.

The government had stated that the BMC would take further action only after the committee submitted its recommendations and the state finalized the procedure.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel argued that the committee had effectively restrained the BMC from continuing the sealing drive.

Responding to the submission, the Bench remarked that if the government wished to conduct a study, it was free to do so, but preventing enforcement amounted to "an absolute collision" with the Court's orders.

Five weeks for report

The Supreme Court also directed the Jabalpur High Court to vacate three interim stay orders that had restrained action in related matters.

It granted the Madhya Pradesh government five weeks to submit its report and fixed the next hearing for September 15.

Arera Colony resident Vivek Tripathi welcomed the order, saying it would revive the sealing drive and strengthen action against illegal commercial activities in residential neighbourhoods across Bhopal.