The Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party will abide by the Supreme Court directive and deposit the Rs 20 lakh each fine imposed by the Bombay High Court
The Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party will abide by the Supreme Court directive and deposit the Rs 20 lakh (each) fine imposed by the Bombay High Court with the Loss Compensation Fund constituted by the State government. They will then present the copy of the receipt before the apex court.
Though no official statement was issued by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray or his son and executive president of the Party Uddhav, senior leaders emphatically stated that the Party will comply with the directives of the apex court.
BJP state unit spokesman Madhu Chavan said, "We will obey the order of the Supreme Court. This directive leaves a question mark on the fundamental right of the political parties to protest against anti social and anti national incidents by way of morchas etc. The accused of the Ghatkopar bomb blast have walked away free while we who protested against their anti national act have been penalised. There is no proof of any violence or loss on that day."
Saturday is the deadline for the payment of the damages. The Sena-BJP moved the Supreme Court two days ago challenging the order of the Bombay High Court asking it to pay for the loss to the public during the bandh.
The parties were fined by the High Court on June 22 this year on a public interest litigation filed by Alque Padamsee and former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner B G Deshmukh on behalf of the non government organisation Agni.
In their petition Padamsee and Deshmukh had alleged that the city suffered a loss of Rs 50 lakh due to the bandh. Challenging the HC order the saffron combine stated in its writ petition that the High Court could not impose a fine on the political party without going into the quantification of the damages.
They further stated that the bandh was a spontaneous reaction to the public outcry after the Ghatkopar bomb blast.
BJP leaders sore at SC's bandh verdict
Prashant Hamine
State BJP leaders reacted to the Supreme Court verdict on bandh.
State BJP president Nitin Gadkari said, "We had extended our support to the bandh called by the people to protest against the bomb blast, which claimed innocent lives. In a democratic country, it is our duty to raise public issues. It was right to support a bandh against anti-national acts. We do respect the Supreme Court verdict, but we place the matter before the public to decide."
State BJP spokesman Madhu Chavan said, "We respect the apex court verdict and will deposit the Rs 20 lakh fine. But we feel sad. Anti-national elements behind the blast have been released. But those who protested against the act have been fined. In case of any such injustice in future, how we protest as political parties? The verdict raises questions on our basic fundamental rights. Court should not intervene in public matters.
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