PIL In HC Seeks Probe Into How Shinde’s Dussehra Rally Was Funded

The social activist has recently filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court seeking to investigate and find the sources of funds used by the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena in the Dussehra rally, held at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in October last year.

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep V Marne heard the plea filed by activist Deepak Dilip Jagdev, a resident of Kandivali, through advocate Nitin Satpute.
The plea claims that the rally held by CM Shinde attracted nearly 2 lakh people from across the state.

The PIL said, 1,700 buses of Maharashtra Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) were pressed into service by the state to ferry people for the event, and over Rs 10 crore was paid by Shinde to MSRTC for the service, apart from those who provided more facilities at the rally.

The PIL claimed that Shinde is the CM of an “unrecognized government” and sought a probe by central agencies, including CBI, ED, or the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police.

Earlier, the bench opined that the writ petition filed by Jagdev seeks relief in the nature of PIL, and therefore asked the petitioner to amend the plea into PIL, which he complied with.

The HC will hear the PIL next on June 12.