The Asian Age: Mumbai: Monday, March 19, 2018.
Eight former
corporators of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) have filed a criminal writ
petition in the Bombay high court seeking quashing of complaints registered
against them by the Thane police commissioner at the behest of the corporation
and its commissioner. The corporators have alleged that the complaint lodged
against them was aimed at discouraging them from seeking information under
Right To Information (RTI) Act about unauthorised and illegal construction
being carried on in the municipal limits of the corporation.
According to
the petition filed by Sanjay Ghadigaonkar and seven others, all of who were
former corporators in TMC, a complaint was lodged against them by the Thane
police as they had been seeking information under RTI. The petition has alleged
that they had been discouraged by the corporation from seeking the information,
but when it did not deter them, the police complaints were lodged. The
complaint has alleged that the corporators were misusing the RTI Act for vested
interests.
The petition
also points to the fact that in the recent session of the Vidhan Sabha, the
chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had clarified that there was no restriction on
anyone from seeking information under RTI and they cannot be prosecuted for
seeking the information, but the corporation had not heeded the same but had
lodged complaints with the police against them.
The petition
while seeking an early hearing has also prayed for restraining orders against
the police from taking any action against them as well as quashing of the
complaints. The petition is expected to come up for hearing in due course.
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