The Bombay High Court on Friday strongly criticised the habit of littering in India while strictly following cleanliness rules abroad, questioning why citizens display different standards of civic responsibility depending on where they are.

A bench of Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe observed that many people casually throw garbage on Indian roads but make sure to dispose of even a small chocolate wrapper in a dustbin when they are overseas.

"Here, a person will throw garbage on the road without batting an eyelid, but these same people, when abroad, will strictly avoid such behaviour," the Court remarked, adding, "Is this the price of liberty and democracy?"

The observations came while the High Court was hearing a batch of petitions concerning pollution, foul odour, gas emissions and health hazards allegedly caused by the Kanjurmarg dumping ground in eastern Mumbai.

Stressing that maintaining cleanliness is a shared responsibility, the Court said that every citizen who expects a clean environment also has a corresponding fundamental duty to keep public spaces clean.

"If a person wants a clean environment, then he or she has a corresponding fundamental duty towards society to maintain cleanliness. We want the civic officials to be ruthless in taking action," the bench said.

The Court noted that plastic waste continues to pile up in public places, including Mumbai's beaches, and questioned whether such conditions reflect a civilised society. It also highlighted the daily health and hygiene risks caused by garbage dumped on roads and in bylanes across the city.

Referring to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai's (MCGM) slogan, "Swachch Mumbai, Sundar Mumbai, Aapli Mumbai, Sundar Mumbai," the bench said the civic body's objective was clear but was being undermined by irresponsible citizens and inadequate enforcement by municipal authorities.

The Court emphasised that ward-level cleanliness officials must ensure public roads are not treated as dumping grounds and warned that failure to enforce sanitation rules would defeat the very purpose of the civic body's cleanliness campaign.

It also expressed concern over the handling of garbage by municipal collection trucks near prominent heritage sites such as the Rajabai Tower and the Bombay High Court building. According to the bench, tourists, including foreign visitors, often witness garbage strewn across roads because of improper waste handling.

The High Court directed the civic body to take corrective measures within a week, warning that it would pass appropriate orders if the issue remained unaddressed.