In a significant directive, the Bombay high court (HC) on Friday, August 23, has restrained any political party or person from calling a bandh in Maharashtra.
The direction comes after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday, August 21, called for a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 to protest against the alleged sexual assault on two young girls at a school in Badlapur of Thane district.
A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar was hearing pleas challenging call of ‘Maharashtra bandh’ by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and other political parties.
"We are restraining any political party or individual from proceeding with call for bandh. We will also direct the State to take all steps in terms of B G Deshmukh judgment," said Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya.
For the unversed, police on August 17 arrested an attendant at the school for sexually abusing two girl students of the kindergarten at a school in Badlapur. As per the complaint, he abused the girls in the toilet of the school, an official said.
The opposition parties have alleged that the parents of the girls were made to wait for 11 hours at Badlapur police station before the officials took note of their complaints.
Thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station and stormed the school building over the incident. Police arrested 72 individuals related to the violence during the protest.
Consequently, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had demanded the withdrawal of cases against those who protested in Badlapur over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls, warning that the opposition would take to the streets if this demand is not met. Speaking to the media, Thackeray emphasized that the August 24 'Maharashtra Bandh' called by the opposition bloc is aimed at protesting against "perversion" and urging people from all communities to join in.
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