HC relief to 3 Thane corporators from disqualification

Mumbai, June 3: The Bombay High Court on Friday, June 3 stayed the disqualification of three corporators from Thane who are facing charges of abetting suicide of builder Suraj Parmar.

Hanumant Jagdale (NCP), Vikrant Chavan (Congress) and Sudhakar Chavan (MNS-turned-Independent) were granted relief by vacation Judge B R Gavai on the ground that Najeeb Mulla, NCP corporator from Thane and co-accused in this case, had been given similar relief earlier.

The three corporators had been disqualified by the Thane Municipal Corporation on the orders of Urban Development department of Maharashtra Government.

Jagdale, Vikrant and Sudhakar had moved the High Court challenging their disqualification on the ground that the BJP-Sena government in the state had disqualified them due to political vendetta. Earlier, all the four Corporators were granted bail by Thane sessions court. Parmar had shot himself dead on October 7, 2015.

He had left behind a suicide note blaming some politicians for mental harassment and demanding payoffs. After forensic tests on the builder’s note in which he had struck out the names of politicians after mentioning them, police had named corporators, Najib, Jagdale, Vikrant and Sudhakar as accused in the case.

The four corporators were then charged with abetment of suicide, criminal misconduct and bribery under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Action was taken to disqualify the Corporators under the provisions under Section 13 of Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, which allows the government to remove a corporator found guilty of any misconduct.

The matter would now come up for hearing and admission before a regular bench after the summer vacation.

PTI