Court seeks explanation from police for inaction

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Judicial magistrate first class K.N. Gowarikar has recently ordered the police to issue notices to mla Gopichand Padalkar and explain why no action was taken on a complaint filed against his alleged insulting remarks about the Christian community, even after two months. The Cantonment Police have been asked to appear before the court within two months and submit a written explanation.

Since the complaint is against a public representative (MLA), the court also directed that, under Section 175(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), a report from the mla’s senior authorities should be submitted soon.

On June 17, 2025, during a public meeting at Ramnagar Chowk in Sangli, mla Padalkar allegedly made offensive and hateful comments against the Christian community, hurting their sentiments. Following this, on July 9, 2025, president of the Christian Action Committee Vijay (Guddu) Nikalje , filed a complaint at the Cantonment Police Station. However, the police did not register the case. Nikalje later submitted applications to the superintendent of police and the commissioner of police, but still, no action was taken. Finally, through adv Madhur Anil Golegaonkar, he filed a criminal petition in court, asking for directions to the police to investigate the complaint.

Court’s observation:

After reviewing the petition, documents, and video evidence, the court noted that, at first glance, mla Padalkar appears to have made hateful statements in a public gathering and that these remarks were shared on social media. The court said the allegations are serious and fall under a cognizable offense. Therefore, as per Section 175(4) of the BNSS, it is necessary to get a report from the mla’s senior authorities regarding the complaint. With these observations, the court issued the above orders.