Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Monday issued contempt notices to sitting BJP municipal corporator Muraji Patel and seven of his supporters for allegedly assaulting a civic official while he was trying to remove an illegal hoarding in the Andheri area.
A division bench of Justice A.S. Oka and Justice M.S. Sonak on Monday directed the corporator and his supporters to file a reply as to why civil and criminal action should not be initiated against them for allegedly assaulting the BMC officer.
The bench issued the contempt notices while hearing an application filed by the civic body, seeking action against Mr Patel and his supporters for contempt of court for obstructing the civic official from carrying out his duty.
The BMC in its application, which was filed last week, said that civic officers of the K (east) ward in suburban Andheri in January this year received a complaint on their website regarding an illegal hoarding erected on a public road. Acting on the complaint, the concerned officers visited the site and started removing the hoarding and banners. At that time, several persons came to the site and allegedly started threatening the civic officials and abused and assaulted them. Later, a case was also lodged by the BMC.
Contempt of court notices have been issued because while hearing the public interest litigation, the HC in January 2017 directed the municipal corporations and district councils in the state to ensure that no hoarding was erected without requisite permission.
The judges have directed all eight respondents to file their affidavits in reply to the notice within three weeks.
