Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday permitted the Maharashtra government to withdraw a 2020 rioting case registered against former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, senior BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and five others.
The case stemmed from a protest outside the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) office in December 2020, during which the leaders allegedly tried to scale the iron gates of the RBI and manhandled a policeman.
Committee recommendation accepted
Public prosecutor Mankunwar Deshmukh informed a bench led by the Chief Justice and Justice Jamadar that the decision followed recommendations of a state-appointed committee. The panel reviewed the chargesheet and suggested withdrawal in line with a Government Resolution (GR) issued pursuant to Supreme Court guidelines.
The GR allows withdrawal of criminal cases involving political leaders where there was no loss of life, damage to public property did not exceed ₹5 lakh, or where cases were registered up to 2022, including those during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“The committee has gone through the chargesheet. These cases fit within the parameters of the GR,” Deshmukh said. The bench then granted approval to withdraw the case.
Other political leaders also benefit
A similar application was filed in connection with a separate case involving MLA Dattaji Meghe, Anil Nidhan, Ambadas Uke, and others. That too was allowed based on the committee’s recommendation.
HC monitoring pending cases against lawmakers
Meanwhile, the HC continues to monitor pending criminal cases against sitting and former MPs and MLAs across Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Last week, the court had criticised the state government for failing to provide a complete and district-wise breakup of such cases.
As per data submitted, there are 499 pending cases against lawmakers as of June 30.
Court seeks detailed data from prosecution
However, the court noted that the information was incomplete and unsatisfactory. “You must provide details—how many cases in each district, what is the stage of trial, how many witnesses have been examined. How can we monitor without data?” the bench observed, stressing that collecting details is the responsibility of the prosecution, not the court registry.
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The prosecution has now been directed to furnish detailed charts within two weeks, covering all 35 districts of Maharashtra as well as courts in Goa and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
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