Activist files plea against Mehta for name-calling
The court has asked commissioner to file a reply and kept the petition for hearing after two weeks.
Mumbai: A petition has been filed in the Bombay high court against Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner, Ajoy Mehta who referred to RTI activists as extortionists.
The court has asked commissioner to file a reply and kept the petition for hearing after two weeks. The court also refused to accept the BMC’s request to hear this petition along with Kamala mill fire incident as the statement was made during that same period.
A division bench of Justice R.M. Borde and Justice Prithviraj Chavan was hearing a petition filed by social and RTI activist Kamlakar Shenoi.
According to petition after the Kamala Mill fire incident, BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta on January 1 made a statement saying there is a nexus between BMC officials and activists. He also called them ‘professional complainants’ and ‘extortionist.’ Mehta also intends to crackdown and eradicate the so-called nexus by breaking their back.
Mr Shenoi stated in the petition that these statements will have a far-reaching impact on future decisions on policy and are intended to water down the Right to Information Act of 2005 by which BMC is obliged to provide information related to various queries filed by RTI activists.
The court asked BMC to file reply before August 30.