The Bombay High Court on Tuesday gave the Maharashtra government three more weeks to file its reply to a PIL that challenged the October 11 bandh called by the ruling coalition in the state. Notably, the court has stated that “consequences will follow” if the respondents failed to reply in time.
A division bench consisting of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Makarand S Karnik on December 20, 2021 while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by senior citizens, including retired IPS officer Julio Ribeiro, had wondered if restraining political parties from organising bandhs would have any effect and if the same could be implemented. It had directed the state and other respondents to file their responses by January 31.
The PIL said the bandh, called by the NCP, the Congress and the Shiv Sena to express their solidarity with the farmers’ protest over the now-repealed agricultural laws and against the October 3, 2021 violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur-Kheri district, caused a loss of nearly Rs 3,000 crore to the public exchequer.
It urged the court to declare the bandh as “unconstitutional, arbitrary and illegal” and suggested that the political parties behind it be “suitably penalised”.
On Tuesday, Additional Government Pleader Jyoti Chavan sought a three-week extension to file an affidavit in reply to the plea, which the court accepted and also allowed other respondents to file their affidavits within three weeks.
The bench said, “if the respondents do not file a reply affidavit within time… the court shall proceed without the affidavits.”
The court asked petitioners to file their rejoinder to the affidavits in reply within a week thereafter and posted further hearing after five weeks.
