Rapping the state government for lackadaisical attitude, the Bombay high court on Friday told it to take action against police officers who were found guilty by the MG Gaikwad committee, which was probing the police firing incident at Maval near Pune in August 2011.
A division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Ajey Gadkari observed that the government had failed to take action against errant officers, including then Superintendent of Police, Pune (Rural), Sandeep Karnik, despite four months having passed since the police officers were indicted by the committee.
"Prima facie we are of the view that a letter cannot be said to be action taken against the errant officials. The government will have to take action as per law and take this matter to its logical conclusion," observed the judges while seeking a compliance report by December 10.
The HC was hearing a public interest litigation filed by activist IG Khandelwal seeking an FIR against Karnik, who was leading the team at Maval. Karnik was the first to open fire.
The committee had concluded that police firing was not necessary and the officers acted beyond their powers, violating provisions under the Criminal Procedure Code.
"No action has been initiated against the erring officials except communicating findings of the committee via a letter dated July 28, 2014," argued Khandelwal. The government had set up a scrutiny committee to go through the report and deal with recommendations, he said.
The court asked the state why the not even a show cause notice had been issued to the police officers despite the report indicting them. "Why hasn't a disciplinary inquiry been initiated against them?" asked the judges.
Telling the government to file affidavit and compliance report by December 10, the HC has kept the petition for hearing on December 12.
On August 8, 2011, the police had opened fire on villagers who were protesting against the government's decision to lay a closed pipeline to supply water from the Pavna dam to the limits of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Agriculturists had claimed that they would not get water for their crops if the closed pipeline is laid. Three protestors were killed in the firing. After the incident, Karnik was transferred out of Pune (Rural).
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