Neta agrees to pay Rs 24 lakh for illegal billboards
Rosy Sequeira | TNN | Updated: Mar 22, 2019, 12:49 IST
Picture used for representational purpose onlyMUMBAI: BJP corporator from Andheri Murji Patel, who was dragged to court for obstructing and assaulting a licence inspector and a civic squad removing illegal hoardings, has told Bombay high court that he will pay a ‘voluntary donation’ of Rs 24 lakh to BMC to make amends.
A bench of Justices Abhay Oka and M S Sanklecha, hearing a contempt petition by the BMC against Patel and his supporters, directed that the BMC chief accept the money and use it appropriately, including for paying the staff who sustained injuries in the incident and compensate the licence inspector, Uttam Sarwade, for the damage to his camera.
After receiving complaints of illegal hoardings put up by Jivanjoti Foundation run by Patel and his corporator-wife Kesar, on January 31, 2018, a civic squad began removing them. But Patel’s supporters abused and assaulted them and snatched Sarwade’s camera.
The BMC and Sarwade moved HC saying the group had violated the court’s January 31, 2017 order directing all corporations to crack down on illegal hoardings. They also filed a criminal case against the group; that case is in the lower court.
At a previous hearing, Patel was reluctant to take responsibility claiming it would lead to his disqualification and jeopardise his defence in the criminal case. He agreed to pay compensation to BMC as the hoardings were of his party and set up a grievance redressal mechanism for hoardings in his ward. But the HC insisted that he must accept full responsibility if he wanted the contempt proceedings dropped.
Senior advocate Prasad Dhakephalkar, representing Patel, on Wednesday submitted his affidavit in which the corporator stated that he had neither erected nor instructed anybody to erect the hoardings, but as chairman of the organisation took full responsibility. He submitted an unconditional apology and said he would pay a “voluntary donation” of Rs 24 lakh and promised “to not erect or cause to erect” illegal banners. He also said that once a week he would check and lodge complaints against illegal hoardings.
Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, for BMC, argued that Patel does not deserve leniency because as elected councillor he was aware that illegal hoardings cannot be erected and ignorance cannot be an excuse.
The judges noted that in normal circumstances, the HC would not have shown leniency, but in view of the undertakings, “he deserves leniency and dropping of action”. But as Patel sought two months to pay the amount, the HC kept the contempt petition pending. The court directed Patel and BMC to file an affidavits giving details of complaints lodged by him against illegal banners at the next hearing on June 4.
A bench of Justices Abhay Oka and M S Sanklecha, hearing a contempt petition by the BMC against Patel and his supporters, directed that the BMC chief accept the money and use it appropriately, including for paying the staff who sustained injuries in the incident and compensate the licence inspector, Uttam Sarwade, for the damage to his camera.
After receiving complaints of illegal hoardings put up by Jivanjoti Foundation run by Patel and his corporator-wife Kesar, on January 31, 2018, a civic squad began removing them. But Patel’s supporters abused and assaulted them and snatched Sarwade’s camera.
The BMC and Sarwade moved HC saying the group had violated the court’s January 31, 2017 order directing all corporations to crack down on illegal hoardings. They also filed a criminal case against the group; that case is in the lower court.
At a previous hearing, Patel was reluctant to take responsibility claiming it would lead to his disqualification and jeopardise his defence in the criminal case. He agreed to pay compensation to BMC as the hoardings were of his party and set up a grievance redressal mechanism for hoardings in his ward. But the HC insisted that he must accept full responsibility if he wanted the contempt proceedings dropped.
Senior advocate Prasad Dhakephalkar, representing Patel, on Wednesday submitted his affidavit in which the corporator stated that he had neither erected nor instructed anybody to erect the hoardings, but as chairman of the organisation took full responsibility. He submitted an unconditional apology and said he would pay a “voluntary donation” of Rs 24 lakh and promised “to not erect or cause to erect” illegal banners. He also said that once a week he would check and lodge complaints against illegal hoardings.
Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, for BMC, argued that Patel does not deserve leniency because as elected councillor he was aware that illegal hoardings cannot be erected and ignorance cannot be an excuse.
The judges noted that in normal circumstances, the HC would not have shown leniency, but in view of the undertakings, “he deserves leniency and dropping of action”. But as Patel sought two months to pay the amount, the HC kept the contempt petition pending. The court directed Patel and BMC to file an affidavits giving details of complaints lodged by him against illegal banners at the next hearing on June 4.
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