The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to urgently hear a plea against the Maharashtra government’s notification on the appointment of IPS officer Sanjay Verma as interim Director General of Police (DGP) this month and Rashmi Shukla as DGP earlier this year .
The petition, filed as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by advocate Praful Bhadale, was mentioned for early hearing by advocates Vineet Naik, Samsher Garud and Vignesh Iyer.
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar wondered whether the petition qualified as a PIL. Noting that such petitions must be for the benefit of the public and not specific individuals, the court said, “A PIL relaxes the locus, but it has to be seen for whom. A PIL is filed for the benefit of the public at large and not for an aggrieved IPS officer.”
The court also pointed out the delay in challenging Shukla’s appointment, made in January 2024. “If you want to challenge the appointment of Rashmi Shukla, you should have gone to court in February. Not now. Do not politicize these issues,” the court said.
The petition contended that Verma’s temporary appointment violates the Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines as it specifies that the position is “for the period up to the completion of the Assembly Election 2024.” It also seeks to annul the extension granted to Shukla in February 2024.
According to the plea, the state government ignored ECI guidelines by favoring Shukla and manipulating the terms of Verma’s appointment. After political parties raised their concerns, the ECI reportedly directed the removal of Shukla as DGP. After this, she went on leave and Verma was appointed as temporary DGP.
The court stated that it would hear the matter in due course.
Published by:
Akhilesh Nagari
Published on:
November 18, 2024