The state on Tuesday told the Bombay high court that it would not initiate any criminal action against police officers responsible for the illegal arrest of two girls from Palghar for opposing the bandh enforced during Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s funeral in November 2012, on Facebook.
One of the girls had posted a comment over the bandh, while her friend had “liked” the comment. The girls had been arrested after a Shiv Sena leader filed a complaint against them.
Additional public prosecutor Jayesh Yagnik told a division bench of Justices S.C. Dharma-dhikari and S.C. Gupte that the state home department would not take any action against the police officers at this stage.
The high court was hearing a PIL filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar seeking penal action for wrongful confinement and falsification of records to be taken against the errant police officials. The court had on the last hearing sought to know from the government if it plans to initiate criminal action against the errant police officers. The government’s statement on Tuesday irked the court, which said the government officials do not respect the sanctity of the court’s orders and are taking the matter “very casually”.