FIR against ex-minister’s kin sought

Nagpur: A contractor’s body approached Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court praying for registering an FIR against kin of a former energy minister for celebrating her birthday in her office during Covid-19 lockdown.
According to him, those who attended the party neither followed Covid distancing norms nor used face masks. The petitioner said the kin is wife of minister’s brother and therefore no policeman dared to register a complaint.
A division bench comprising justices Atul Chandurkar and Nitin Suryawanshi on Friday issued notices to respondents, including state home secretary and police.
Ashok Ramteke, president of Sthanik Kantratdar Kalyan Association from Khaparkheda, claimed that no permission was taken for organizing the party, which is mandatory as per rules laid down by Maharashtra government due to spiralling cases.
According to the petitioner, no FIR has been reported till date despite lodging several complaints with the respondents. A similar situation was observed where 11 doctors organized a party in a hotel where Covid rules were not followed, the petitioner said.
According to Ramteke, the kin should be booked under Covid-19 Regulation Act and Section 144 of Indian Penal Code along with Disaster Management Act.