The Bombay High Court on Monday prohibited any construction on or commercial exploitation of mangrove land across Maharashtra. It has also said that the state will have to restore to its 'original condition' all mangrove land that had already been destroyed.

In its judgment passed on a bunch of petitions the court had been hearing since 2005, the HC ruled that destruction of mangroves was in breach of the citizens' fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.