Bombay HC Urges Govt to Prioritize Sports Over Commercial Interests

The Bombay High Court recently made a big remark related to the significance of sports in society, claiming that “it is high time the government gives equal importance to sports than commercialization concretization and the mantra.”

The statement came as part of a ruling in which the court overturned a 2021 Maharashtra government decision that included shifting an organized government sports complex from Navi Mumbai to a more remote place in Mangaon, Raigad district.

A division bench of Justices G. S. Kulkarni and Jitendra Jain mentioned the requirement for a developing state to give priority to the societal benefits of sports and recreational services. The originally constructed 20-acre land in Navi Mumbai for the sports complex was partly given in 2016 to a private developer for residential and commercial purposes, a decision now withdrawn by the High Court.

The court noted that sports facilities play an important role in creating a healthy and positive society and raised concern over the trend of giving priority to commercial development at the expense of public facilities. The justices stated, “A progressive state can never be oblivious to the needs of society and, more particularly, to international perception.”

The legal issue was initiated by the Indian Institute of Architects, Navi Mumbai Centre, which registered a public interest litigation challenging the state government’s order. The court’s order mandates the City and Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (CIDCO) to immediately acquire the land for the intended sports complex, although the decision is stayed for four weeks, permitting CIDCO time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

In their serious rebuke of the government’s approach, the court denounced the ongoing ‘concretization’ that sacrifices necessary public facilities for future purposes. The court’s decision shows a broader call for a revolution in city planning priorities, requesting the government and planners to consider the long-term effects of their decisions on the community’s access to recreational spaces and sports facilities.

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