Bench questions the State home department
Aurangabad, July 7:
A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Ravindra Ghuge of the Bombay High Court asked the State government why the cases filed against farmers for political and social agitation should not be quashed under Section 353 of the Penal Code. The bench directed the state home department to file an affidavit in this regard.
The Government of Maharashtra filed cases against farmers who held demonstrations and agitations on various issues of public interest through political parties, social organizations on July 7, 2010, January 13, 2015, March 14, 2016 and 2017. Cases have been registered against the farmers in various police stations in the State. The government has issued a decision to withdraw such cases. As no action is being taken, the state vice president of the farmers association, Adv Ajit Kale sent reminders to the government October 15, 2018 and December 9, 2018 and December 9, 2019. But no concrete action was taken. Therefore, adv Kale filed a PIL and requested for immediate removal of pending cases (offenses) as per the ruling. Chief public prosecutor Dnyaneshwar Kale acted on behalf of the government.
Bench had directed earlier
The bench had earlier directed the criminal courts to impose the order to draw attention to the issues of public interest, cases of agitations and rallies by social and political parties and organizations which did not cause any loss of life or damage to public property exceeding Rs 5 lakh should be withdrawn within 2 weeks. When the petition was heard recently, the committee said that 62 cases have so far been revoked.