A lawyer named Shaila Kanthe has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition before the Bombay High Court, requesting an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the deaths of 14 people during the Maharashtra Bhushan Award ceremony on April 16 in Kharghar. The ceremony was attended by high-profile individuals, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
According to Kanthe, the event was held in an open ground in Kharghar, where around 10 lakh people gathered. Despite spending over ₹14 crores, poor planning resulted in people being forced to sit for 7-8 hours in the sun, leading to heat stroke and 14 deaths. Kanthe claims that the organisers, including Shinde, Fadnavis, and the Municipal Corporation and Police Commissioner of Navi Mumbai, were aware of the scale of the function and the weather conditions.
Kanthe's PIL, filed through advocate Nitin Satpute, seeks registration of criminal complaints, including murder charges, against the organisers of the event, and compensation of ₹50 lakh to the kin of the deceased and ₹5 lakh to those injured. She also urged that the ₹25 lakhs awarded to social activist Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, an awardee at the ceremony, should be taken back.
Kanthe claims to have approached the courts after the police failed to take cognisance of her complaint, and her PIL also seeks direction to the Director General of Police (DGP) to take criminal action against his subordinates who failed to take steps against the errant officials.
The PIL is set to be listed for hearing on May 2, 2023.
TAGS: Maharashtra Bhushan Award Bombay High Court PIL CBI investigation deaths Kharghar Chief Minister Deputy Chief Minister Union Home Minister poor planning negligence compensation.
