Court Notice To Ex Coalition Partners On Plea Against Maharashtra Bandh

Bombay High Court today issued notices to the Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seeking their response to a public interest litigation (PIL), challenging the one-day Maharashtra bandh (general strike) sponsored by the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on October 11, 2021.

The petition sought the High Court to declare the bandh as unconstitutional and illegal and direct the three political parties to pay compensation to affected citizens.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Abhay Ahuja was hearing the petition filed by four senior citizens, including former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro, challenging the one-day bandh.

According to the plea, the bandh that was called to express solidarity with a protest by farmers in connection with the Lakhimpur incident (where people were mowed down by a vehicle during a march in Uttar Pradesh) had caused a loss of Rs 3,000 crore to the public exchequer.

The bench admitted the PIL and issued notices to the three parties and asked them to file their affidavits by January 9 next year.

"Since it is evident from wireless message that the 'bandh' call had been given by the MVA and that the constituents of MVA have stayed away from the proceedings till date, we issue rule (notice) against them," the court said.

The bench, during the hearing, also wondered if judicial order would solve the issue.

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