The Bombay High Court has stayed the notification that would formalise the appointment of seven nominated corporators to the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, reopening a legal dispute over how the civic body’s nominated members were selected.
The order was passed during the hearing of a writ petition filed by the BJP against the decision taken by Ulhasnagar mayor Ashwini Kamlesh Nikam in the appointment process. The dispute has unfolded amid a prolonged political disagreement between the BJP and Shiv Sena over the composition of the municipal corporation.
The civic administration was preparing to issue a notification after the appointment of the seven corporators. The High Court’s intervention places that step on hold. The report does not specify the duration of the stay or set out any further directions issued during the hearing.
The dispute has already moved through multiple rounds of litigation. It first reached the High Court after Nikam directed that the appointment process be kept in abeyance. BJP district president and group leader Rajesh Vadhrya challenged that decision before the court.
On September 11, the High Court quashed the mayor’s decision and the consequential communication issued by municipal commissioner Manisha Awhale. It directed the civic body to complete the nominated corporator appointment process within the stipulated deadline.
The matter later reached the Supreme Court, which directed the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation to complete the appointments by October 1. Following that direction, the corporation convened a special general body meeting and appointed seven nominated corporators.
A fresh disagreement emerged over the distribution of the nominees. According to the report, the mayor announced five nominees from Shiv Sena and two from the BJP. The BJP then returned to the High Court, challenging the mayor’s decision and prompting the latest order.
Nominated corporators form part of a municipal corporation’s deliberative structure, making the dispute relevant not only to the two political groups but also to the functioning of Ulhasnagar’s civic administration. The latest stay means that the legal status of the appointments remains unsettled while the High Court considers the BJP’s challenge.
The case also illustrates how disputes over municipal representation can extend across civic proceedings, the High Court and the Supreme Court. In this matter, each stage has affected the timeline for completing the appointment process, including the Supreme Court’s October 1 deadline and the subsequent challenge to the selections.
The immediate next step is the continuation of the Bombay High Court proceedings on the BJP’s petition. Until the court issues further directions, the notification formalising the seven nominated corporators will remain stayed.
