Bombay HC Stalls BMC’s Kabutar Khana Demolitions, Seeks Clarity on Animal Welfare Concerns

Mumbai: In a move welcomed by animal rights activists, the Bombay High Court has temporarily halted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ongoing demolition of kabutar khanas (designated pigeon feeding spots) across Mumbai. The court’s decision comes amidst growing concern over the treatment of urban wildlife and the legality of the civic body’s actions.

A division bench comprising Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor, while hearing a public interest petition, also directed that the Dean of KEM Hospital be included as a respondent in the matter. The court further called for responses from both the BMC and the Animal Welfare Board of India.

The petition was filed by city residents and animal lovers Pallavi Patil, Sneha Visaria, and Savita Mahajan, who argued that the demolition drive, launched by BMC on July 3, was conducted without any legal basis. Their advocates, Harish Pandya and Dhruv Jain, contended that the sudden removal of these feeding zones had led to the “mass starvation and extermination” of pigeons across the city.

The petitioners also invoked the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, alleging that the civic body’s actions violated fundamental principles of animal welfare and humane treatment. They stressed that pigeons, being part of Mumbai’s urban ecosystem, depend on these dedicated spaces for survival, and any abrupt action without planning or alternate provisions was both unjust and illegal.