The Maharashtra government has decided to challenge the recent order in the Supreme Court after the court ruled in favour of private entities in a high-stakes land dispute involving nearly 254.88 acres of prime land in Mira Bhayandar, the revenue minister announced.
The state government will file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the April 30, 2026 judgment, which effectively cleared the way for the transfer of the disputed land to private developers.
Government Alleges Illegal Changes in Revenue Records
According to the Revenue Department, the disputed 254.88-acre parcel located in Mouje Bhayandar in the Mira-Bhayandar region is government-owned land whose revenue records were allegedly tampered with over several decades.
Officials claim that since 1948, unauthorised alterations were made in the land records without prior approval from the state government. Initially, the name of “Estate Investment Company” was inserted into the records, followed later by “Mira Salt Works.” Subsequently, because the land was used as salt pans, the name of the Central Government’s Salt Department was also entered into the records in 1958.
The ownership issue eventually reached the Supreme Court earlier, which had directed that the matter be examined by the Thane District Collector through an appeal process.
Following those proceedings, the Thane District Collector in 2002 rejected the claims made by Mira Salt Company and ruled that the entire land was vested with the Maharashtra Government.
High Court Verdict Sparks Political and Legal Response
However, in 2019, the companies, along with the Salt Commissioner, challenged the Collector’s decision before the Bombay High Court through a First Appeal.
On April 30, the High Court rejected the appeal filed by the Salt Commissioner and ruled in favour of Mira Salt Works, holding that the land belonged to the company.
The Maharashtra government has now raised serious objections to the ruling, arguing that the High Court decided the dispute on merits even though the appeal was primarily concerning the maintainability of the proceedings.
Government officials fear the verdict could pave the way for private developer “Mira Real Estate Developers” to retain ownership rights over land that the state considers public property worth hundreds of crores of rupees.
“Government Land Will Be Protected”: Bawankule
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the state government would aggressively defend its ownership rights and prevent any alleged encroachment on public land.
“The land belongs to the state government. We will firmly crush all attempts to grab government land by tampering with revenue records,” Bawankule said.
The Bombay High Court order effectively allows the transfer of government land to private owners. The Government of Maharashtra will challenge this order in the Supreme Court to protect public property. We will strongly defend the state’s ownership rights over this valuable land,” he added.
Government Cites Maharashtra Land Revenue Code
The minister also said the state’s legal strategy would rely heavily on provisions of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC), 1966, particularly Section 29(3)(c).
The provision defines the status of “Occupants – Class II” and pertains to persons who were granted rights over unalienated land under long-term or perpetual leases prior to the enactment of the MLRC.
The state government is expected to argue that the provisions do not automatically confer ownership rights in a manner that defeats the government’s title over the land.
Major Legal Battle Ahead
The dispute is expected to become one of Maharashtra’s most closely watched land battles, given the enormous commercial value of the property located in the rapidly developing Mira-Bhayandar belt near Mumbai.
Legal experts believe the case could have wider implications for several historical land ownership disputes across Maharashtra, especially those involving salt pan lands, old lease arrangements, and disputed revenue entries.
The Maharashtra government is expected to file the special leave petition in the coming days.