Navi Mumbai Group Moves Supreme Court After Bombay High Court Rejects PIL On Naming Airport After DB Patil

Navi Mumbai: A Navi Mumbai–based social organisation has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court’s dismissal of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a time-bound decision on naming the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) after social activist D.B. Patil.

Special Leave Petition Filed Under Article 136

Prakashjhot Samajik Sanstha has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) under Article 136 of the Constitution, after the High Court’s dismissed PIL No. 108 of 2025 on November 4, 2025.

The High Court in its order is stated to have held that it could not direct the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to accept a naming proposal and that the petitioner had failed to demonstrate a legally enforceable right.

In its detailed SLP, the petitioner argues that the High Court misconstrued the relief sought. According to the petition, the PIL did not seek a direction compelling the Centre to accept the proposal, but rather a mandamus requiring the Union government to take an expeditious, time-bound and non-arbitrary decision on a proposal that already enjoys overwhelming political and legislative consensus in Maharashtra.

The petition has been filed by advocate Vikas Patil and it has named the Union of India, the State of Maharashtra, CIDCO, Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) and Adani Airport Holdings Limited as respondents.

Naming Process Began In 2021, Says Petition

According to the petition, the process for naming the airport began as early as May 2021, when representations were made to the Maharashtra government and CIDCO. In July 2022, the Maharashtra Cabinet approved the proposal to name the airport - Lokneta D.B. Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Subsequently, resolutions were passed in both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature and forwarded to the Centre for final approval, as required under existing protocols.

"Despite these steps, the formal naming remains pending with the Centre,even though the airport has already been inaugurated and became fully operational on December 25, 2025," said the advocate.

Delay May Trigger Law And Order Situation

A key aspect of the SLP is the alleged threat to public order arising from the delay. The petitioner has told the Supreme Court that the Agri-Koli Samaj, estimated to comprise 15 to 25 lakh people across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has strongly demanded that the airport be named after D.B. Patil, a leader closely associated with land acquisition struggles and the 12.5% project-affected persons (PAP) rehabilitation policy.

The petition warns that continued inaction could trigger mass protests capable of paralysing the MMR, drawing parallels with past agitations such as the Maratha quota stir, which courts had noted brought Mumbai practically to a standstill.

Petition Cites Risk Of Mass Protests Across MMR

It argues that judicial intervention at this stage is necessary as an act of preventive justice to avert a law-and-order crisis.

Pending final hearing, the petitioner has sought interim directions staying the operation of the High Court judgment and directing the Union and State governments to file a joint affidavit explaining the delay since 2022. The petition also seeks that the Centre be ordered to indicate a clear, judicially enforceable timeline for issuing the official naming notification.

The matter is expected to be listed before the Supreme Court in the coming weeks.

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