MUMBAI: MVA on Friday called off its statewide bandh on Saturday over the Badlapur school sexual abuse case after Bombay HC, pointing at the “huge loss” to the economy and disruption of essential services like health that would occur, restrained all parties concerned from proceeding with the general strike.
MVA constituents Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress decided that instead of the total bandh, all their politicians would wear black badges and resort to sit-in protests across the state.Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar said they disagreed with the view of the high court but were following the order out of respect for the judiciary.
CM Eknath Shinde called HC direction a slap on the face of the opposition and said MVA was milking the Badlapur incident in the hope of gaining votes in the assembly election after seeing the popularity of the Ladki Bahin scheme of govt.
The order of HC bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar came on two PILs filed by daily wager Nandabai Misal and advocates Jaishri Patil and Gunaratan Sadavarte.
Initially, HC bench had been disinclined to interfere in the matter, saying the court “should not be dragged in and politicised” when there existed a state machinery to prevent the bandh.
The PILs expressed concern about the adverse consequences citizens and organisations, including students, small and big businesses, and taxi and autorickshaw drivers, were likely to suffer because of the bandh.
For Misal, advocates Subhash Jha and Harekrishna Mishra referred to the statewide Maratha agitation that had led to destruction of public and private properties and urged HC to intervene.
Sadavarte said protests were being planned despite an SIT having been set up in the Badlapur case. “For 10 hours … stone-pelting for justice? It was for their own mileage,” he said.
To the bench’s query on preventive steps taken, advocate general Birendra Saraf said notices had been issued to the bandh organisers but arrests were not yet made. “While the state is taking all steps to ensure there is no disruption, the constitutional obligations of others not to call for a bandh should also be enforced,” he said.
The judges said from the material available they were prima facie convinced that the call given by political parties to observe the bandh would mean “cessation of all kinds of activities, which will result in the life of the state coming to a halt”. They said it may entail heavy loss to industrial, business, economic and other activities.
They said the bandh was likely to not only affect students but also adversely impact emergency services such as health and public conveniences like electricity, water, local trains and “entire life of Mumbai may come to a halt”.
MVA constituents Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress decided that instead of the total bandh, all their politicians would wear black badges and resort to sit-in protests across the state.Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar said they disagreed with the view of the high court but were following the order out of respect for the judiciary.
CM Eknath Shinde called HC direction a slap on the face of the opposition and said MVA was milking the Badlapur incident in the hope of gaining votes in the assembly election after seeing the popularity of the Ladki Bahin scheme of govt.
The order of HC bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar came on two PILs filed by daily wager Nandabai Misal and advocates Jaishri Patil and Gunaratan Sadavarte.
Initially, HC bench had been disinclined to interfere in the matter, saying the court “should not be dragged in and politicised” when there existed a state machinery to prevent the bandh.
The PILs expressed concern about the adverse consequences citizens and organisations, including students, small and big businesses, and taxi and autorickshaw drivers, were likely to suffer because of the bandh.
For Misal, advocates Subhash Jha and Harekrishna Mishra referred to the statewide Maratha agitation that had led to destruction of public and private properties and urged HC to intervene.
Sadavarte said protests were being planned despite an SIT having been set up in the Badlapur case. “For 10 hours … stone-pelting for justice? It was for their own mileage,” he said.
To the bench’s query on preventive steps taken, advocate general Birendra Saraf said notices had been issued to the bandh organisers but arrests were not yet made. “While the state is taking all steps to ensure there is no disruption, the constitutional obligations of others not to call for a bandh should also be enforced,” he said.
The judges said from the material available they were prima facie convinced that the call given by political parties to observe the bandh would mean “cessation of all kinds of activities, which will result in the life of the state coming to a halt”. They said it may entail heavy loss to industrial, business, economic and other activities.
They said the bandh was likely to not only affect students but also adversely impact emergency services such as health and public conveniences like electricity, water, local trains and “entire life of Mumbai may come to a halt”.
Source Agencies
