Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday was displeased with a sessions court in Kalyan for failing to expeditiously decide on a pre-arrest bail plea of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena’s local leader Waman Mhatre. A case was registered against Mhatre for allegedly making derogatory remarks against a woman journalist during the protest in Badlapur following the sexual assault of two minor girls on the school’s premises.
The court noted that when a citizen’s liberty was involved, the lower court must take up and decide pre-arrest bail applications expeditiously, or at least decide on granting interim protection urgently.
The HC was hearing an appeal filed by Mhatre claiming that his pre-arrest bail plea filed before the Kalyan sessions court on August 22 was not yet heard. He also claimed that even his application seeking interim protection was not considered. Contending that the sessions court was adjourning his plea on every hearing, Mhatre claimed that now the matter was kept for hearing on August 29.
The high court has asked the sessions judge to decide Mhatre’ application on August 29 itself and submit a status report before the high court registry the same evening.
“If lower courts do not decide such matters, then the high court is burdened with such matters. They should decide,” Justice Sandeep Marne said. The HC has disposed of Mhatre’s appeal.
