Judicial committee to be given criminal proceedings power

Mumbai: A day after the Maharashtra bandh, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis agreed to the demand of vesting powers of criminal proceedings to a justice commission, which will be formed to probe the Bhima Koregaon attack. The CM’s assurance came after Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar met him on Thursday. Mr Ambedkar had said that a judicial commission has no powers to punish and prosecute, hence it needed criminal proceeding powers.

“We met the chief minister and he has agreed to give criminal proceedings power to the sitting judge who will prove the matter. The chief justice would suggest a panel of sitting judges to the government, of which one will be entrusted with the responsibility of the probe. The inquiry commission will order quantum of punishment to the culprits,” Mr Ambedkar told the reporters.

The Bharip Bahujan has also asked the CM to stop the combing operations by the police as many youth have been detained from various parts of the state before and after the bandh. “The CM has assured us that assailants of Bhima Koregaon incident will be arrested soon. But I do not know if Sabhaji Bhide would be arrested. Police are conducting combing operations but the youth are not Naxalites or terrorists,” he added. Mr Ambedkar had alleged that Bhide and Milind Ekbote were masterminds of the Bhima Koregaon attack that killed one and injured many.

On the police ban on Gujarat’s independent MLA Jignesh Mewani and JNU student Umar Khalid’s programme, Mr Ambedkar said that the organisers were told about it a day before. Commenting on a programme being organised in the city which will see Mr Bhide attending, he said, “We believe in democracy and freedom of speech. The police will take a call if they want to ban the programme.”

Reacting to the RSS demand calling for take strict action against culprits of the Bhima Koregaon attack, Mr Ambedkar said the organisation is trying to stay away from hardliners. “The RSS is trying to disown the hardliners as they do not want to show any connection with them,” he stated.