The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Maharashtra government for keeping in illegal custody for four days two cable operators, including an 80-year-old woman allegedly for non-payment of entertainment tax.
A bench of Justices J.S. Khehar and R. Banumathi issued a notice to the state government on a special leave petition filed by Ms Vijaya Nitin H. Naukariya and Mahendra Bhaurao Shastrakar. The former’s husband and the latter’s mother-in-law were the victims in the case.
The bench expressed serious concern over the arrests and told Maharashtra counsel, “Tell your government that this is a serious matter. We will not allow this to happen. We want you to produce in four weeks the records indicating when was the two persons arrested; under whose orders and why were kept in custody along with criminals.”
The petitioners in their appeal against the Bombay high court order submitted that they filed habeas corpus petitions seeking the release of their relatives in the context of illegal arrest and their detention. They raised serious questions about the grossly illegal nature of the arrest of the persons in question and the handcuffing of one of them. They said that one of the persons is a lady about 80 years of age.
