Mumbai Metro Line 6 has received a major legal boost after the Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to intervene in a Bombay High Court order supporting the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s position over land earmarked for the project’s Kanjurmarg car shed.
The decision concerns the depot planned for the 14.5-km Swami Samarth Nagar–Vikhroli corridor, an elevated Metro route intended to connect Mumbai’s western suburbs with the eastern side through Jogeshwari, Powai and Kanjurmarg. The corridor is planned with 13 stations.
The legal dispute centred on whether the MMRDA could use the Kanjurmarg land for the Metro Line 6 depot. A depot is required for stabling and maintaining the trains that will operate on the corridor. The challenge had therefore affected a facility linked to the project’s planned operations, rather than only a peripheral parcel of land.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to interfere leaves the Bombay High Court’s February 13 order in favour of the MMRDA undisturbed, according to a report by Mid-Day. The development removes the legal hurdle identified in the report for the proposed depot land.
Metro Line 6 is designed as an east–west connection across Mumbai, linking the western suburb of Swami Samarth Nagar with Vikhroli on the eastern side. Its alignment is expected to pass through important urban areas including Jogeshwari, Powai and Kanjurmarg. The route’s planned connections across these areas are intended to strengthen movement between parts of the city that are currently linked by road-based transport.
The Kanjurmarg depot is central to the corridor’s operational planning because trains need a designated facility for overnight stabling, inspection and maintenance. Any uncertainty over the land required for that facility can affect the project’s ability to move from construction towards eventual services. The court development reported on Tuesday provides legal clarity on the MMRDA’s position regarding the land.
The project also has significance beyond the depot dispute because Metro Line 6 is planned to provide a cross-city link between Mumbai’s western and eastern corridors. The route will run through a combination of established suburban areas and major employment, residential and institutional zones around Powai and Kanjurmarg.
The available report does not specify a revised construction schedule, an opening date, the status of work on each station or the next project milestone following the Supreme Court decision. It also does not provide details of the parties that challenged the land use or the precise terms of the Bombay High Court order.
For now, the immediate development is the Supreme Court’s decision not to intervene in the earlier order. The next reported steps for Metro Line 6 will depend on the MMRDA’s implementation of the Kanjurmarg depot plan and the project’s broader construction and operational schedule.