The Supreme Court has sharply criticized the Maharashtra Government over the controversial land allotment to Bivalekar under CIDCO’s 12.5% scheme, calling it a serious procedural violation. Expressing strong displeasure, the court directed the state to take immediate corrective action, warning of strict measures if it failed to comply.

Bivalekar, deemed ineligible for the scheme for nearly 30 years, was abruptly declared eligible in 2024 following an Urban Development Department (UDD) directive, leading CIDCO to allot 62,000 sq. m. of land — with a tripartite agreement for 8,650 sq. m. executed soon after. This decision reversed CIDCO’s earlier stance, which had consistently denied Bivalekar’s eligibility and confirmed the disputed land as government property.

The Conscious Citizen Forum and MLA Rohit Pawar filed a PIL in the Supreme Court, alleging collusion between CIDCO and government officials and estimating the land’s value at Rs 5,000 crore. The court, taking serious note, issued notices to the state and CIDCO, directing them to respond within three weeks.

Advocate Akhilesh Dubey argued that the allotment was cleared in just 24 hours, bypassing due process. The court has clubbed the PIL with earlier pending appeals, signalling that both CIDCO and the state must now justify the controversial allotment.