After Lawyer's No Show, Bombay High Court Dismisses PIL Seeking Probe Into Source Of Funds Used By CM Eknath Shinde In 2022 Dusshera Rally

The Bombay High Court today dismissed a PIL seeking probe against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and others for allegedly spending "Rs. 10 crore or more" for holding Dussehra rally at the MMRDA grounds.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S Doctor dismissed the PIL after the petitioner’s advocate Nitin Satpute failed to appear before the court on three occasions, including today.

One of the prayers in the petition was to direct central agencies such as the CBI, Mumbai Police Economic Offence Wing, and the Enforcement Directorate to investigate the utilization of funds exceeding Rs. 10 Crore by the unregistered party led by Shinde during the Dussehra Rally held at Bandra Kurla Complex on October 5, 2022.

The petitioner, Deepak Jagdev, alleged that the under-construction Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway from Mumbai to Nagpur was used to transport rally supporters to Mumbai, purportedly violating traffic regulations and without obtaining permission from MSRTC.

The petition cited a highway accident in Aurangabad involving ten vehicles as evidence. Additionally, the petitioner claimed that substantial expenditures were incurred on newspaper advertisements, renting the BKC ground, producing songs and teasers, erecting 2000 hoardings, and providing food packets.

The petition raised questions about the source of funding, noting that more than Rs. 10 crores had been paid to MSRTC, and other expenses were covered by Shinde. Consequently, doubts were raised about the origin of this substantial amount.

The petition drew a parallel with the cases of Sanjay Raut, who was jailed for Rs. 56 lakh, and Anil Deshmukh, whose assets worth Rs. 4.5 crore were seized. It contended that Shinde should also be held accountable for the Rs. 10 crore involved.

The petition asserted the possibility of black money being employed for the public rally's financing and sought an investigation into the sources of black money and funding.

The petition urged that the Director General of Police take criminal action against MSRTC officers for negligence, as well as against party workers who used the Samruddhi Highway for the rally. Additionally, it sought a direction to disclose the sources of income for all bookings related to the event and the event itself.

Case no. – CRPIL/3/2023

Case Title – Deepak Jagdev v. Eknath Shinde and Anr.