HC: Consequences same for all people
In a stern statement, the Bombay high court on Thursday said that any person — irrespective of who he or she is — disrespecting the court and judges would face serious consequences, provided adequate details regarding the contemptuous statement is submitted.
A division bench of Justices S.C. Dharmadhikari and G.S. Patel was hearing a petition filed by advocate Ejaz Naqvi that sought contempt action to be initiated against MNS chief Raj Thackeray for reportedly making remarks against the judiciary.
Last year, the high court had rejected a petition filed by the MNS, seeking permission to hold a political rally at Shivaji Park on the grounds that the venue fell under the silence zone.
Mr Naqvi’s petition stated that soon after the HC decision, Mr Thackeray had in a speech referred to the decision as “partisan”.
“It is a serious issue, but we need some authenticated document to show that such remarks were made. You should have attached either the news clippings or the video procured from news channels of the speech. You have to also establish the correctness of the reports,” the bench said.
“Don’t think that all these details are sought to favour him (Thackeray) as he is a big person. Law is equal in this court. Same standards apply for everybody. But at the same time, the court cannot overlook the requirements of law while initiating criminal action for contempt,” it said.
The bench granted Mr Naqvi six weeks’ time to obtain details from news channels and papers regarding the speech.
In his reply, Mr Thackeray had denied the allegation and said that he had not made any remark against the judiciary.
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Nashik APMC opens after one-day shutdown
Aftab Khan
Nashik, Aug. 29
The Lasalgaon onion market reopened on Thursday after a one-day shutdown, even though the announcement had been made for an indefinite closure. This follows a late night meeting between APMC directors, representatives of traders, maparis (weighers) and hamals (coolies) on Wednesday.
Speaking to The Asian Age, Lasalgaon APMC chairman Jaydatta Holkar stated that the traders had decided not to levy weighing charges on farmers. “The maparis also received a hike of 27 per cent. The third significant development was that new trading licences would be issued to new firms for participating in the onion auction,” Mr Holkar said. Arrivals, however, were low as the news did not trickle into the villages and only 960 quintals onion was traded on Thursday.
On August 27, onion prices had plummeted, forcing farmers to stage an agitation, even as Lasalgaon, Vinchur and Niphad markets decided to close indefinitely.
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