HC for fine on parties calling bandhs

Coming down heavily on political parties for calling 'bandh', the Bombay high court has indicated it may impose fine or compensation on those political outfits which resorted to such agitational methods.

Hearing a public interest litigation filed by AGNI, theatre personality Alyque Padamsee and former municipal commissioner B G Deshmukh, a division bench on June 9 hinted it may impose a fine on the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena for calling a bandh following a bomb blast in suburban Ghatkopar on July 30 last year.

Justice Ajit Shah and Justice S U Kamdar also pulled up the saffron parties for not filing replies to the notices served on them by the petitioners.

Directing the BJP and Shiv Sena to file affidavits, the bench adjourned the matter to June 30.

The PIL alleged the city suffered an estimated loss of Rs 50 crore owing to the bandh called by the Shiv Sena.

Petitioners' counsel A P Chinoy argued the bandh was forced on the people and was against the Supreme Court order of 1997, which prohibited political parties from resorting to such methods of agitation.

It was argued many persons were deprived of their livelihood due to the bandh called by political parties and people were forced to remain indoors.