The complainant said she had to seek the assistance of Shahapur Police in the matter. (File)

WHILE GRANTING pre-arrest bail, the Bombay High Court has directed a man, booked for causing obstruction and assaulting a tehsildar from Shahapur in Thane district, to pay Rs 50,000 to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

A single-judge bench of Justice Bharati H Dangre made the observation while hearing, on August 17, a pre-arrest bail plea of one Farukh Sattar Dalvi, a social worker, filed through advocate Vijay S Thakur.

In her complaint, the tehsildar had said Dalvi, accompanied with several persons, had verbally abused and threatened her with ‘dire consequences” on March 29 when she was arranging for the lodging of nearly 80 migrant workers at an ashram school in Shirur village. The batch of migrant labourers from Vasai-Virar were proceeding towards Shahapur.

The complainant said she had to seek the assistance of Shahapur Police in the matter.

Advocate Vijay S Thakur, appearing for Dalvi, told the court that his client had stalled the habitation of the migrants at the school as it was being done without following due process, and according to him, the whole village would have been put at risk. Advocate Rutuja Ambekar, for the state, had opposed the plea.

“It is no doubt true that the applicant has attempted to deter the complainant from discharge of her duties, and particularly when he considers himself to be a social worker, rather it was imperative on his part to assist the government agency in securing shelter to the migrants,” the court noted. Granting protection from arrest to the applicant, the court said in the event of arrest, Dalvi should be released on furnishing personal bond of Rs 25, 000 with sureties.

“However, as a responsible person and since he claims to be a social worker, he must contribute Rs 50, 000 in the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for aiding the state government which is grappling with an unpredicted situation and coping with a grim and stressful scenario,” the court said.