State bandh after Bhima Koregaon violence: Bombay High Court notices to parties named in PIL

Bombay High Court. (Express Archive)

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh led by Prakash Ambedkar along with five political parties involved in calling the Maharashtra bandh following the Bhima Koregoan violence on January 1, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation seeking action against Ambedkar and the other parties involved.

A petition, filed by Action for Good Governance and Networking (AGNI), an NGO, through its lawyer Archit Jayakar, states that the petition challenges the constitutional validity and legality of the bandh called on January 2 and 3, 2018, by Prakash Ambedkar. The bandh affected the state of Maharashtra and the loss suffered by the public of Mumbai was to the tune of Rs 800-100 crore. “The city came to a crippling halt, public property was destroyed, the ordinary citizen’s daily routine was disrupted and several people died,” the petition alleges. The petition also says that the state Director General of Police and Mumbai Police commissioner had failed in their duty to take effective steps. The damage caused during the bandh will be naturally recouped by the state from tax-paying citizens, AGNI contended. The petition seeks to carry out investigation by a deputy commissioner of police or a senior official into the cause of incident. It also seeks compensation of Rs 50 crore to be paid jointly from parties Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, RPI, Bhahujan Mukti Party and Baudhajan Panchyat Samiti for calling bandh.

Counsel for state, advocate Hiten Venegaonkar, opposed the PIL and said that the state had already taken appropriate action against those involved in the bandh. Around 74 FIRs were registered and 500 arrest were made through out the state. A bench of justice Shantanu Kemkar and justice M S Karnik also issued notice against parties Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, RPI, Bhahujan Mukti Party, Baudhajan Panchyat Samiti, Shiraj Pratisthan and Samatha Hindu Aghadi.

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