"Bombay High Court Amused as NCP Split Leaves State Lawyer in a Quandary over Arguments Against Ajit Pawar Faction's MLA"
The recent political upheaval within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra has caused ripples in the courtroom. The Bombay High Court witnessed one such consequence when the lawyer representing the Maharashtra Police found himself uncertain about proceeding with arguments in a cheating case against NCP MLA Hasan Mushrif.
Mushrif, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, recently joined the BJP government in Maharashtra, with Pawar himself assuming the role of Deputy Chief Minister. The case before the division bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and RN Laddha pertained to Mushrif's plea to quash the first information report (FIR) filed against him on charges of cheating.
During the hearing on July 6, the public prosecutor, JP Yagnik, sought an adjournment, citing a "change in circumstances." The Court responded with a touch of amusement, questioning whether the prosecutor was representing the accused or the State.
Furthermore, the Court inquired about the presence of the investigating officer, to which the prosecutor responded negatively. Senior Advocate Abad Ponda, appearing for Mushrif, informed the Court that the police were investigating cross complaints in the case and that Mushrif had been granted protection from arrest.
Granting the prosecutor's request, the Court adjourned the case to August 22 and extended the order of interim protection. The bench also summoned a report from the principal district judge of Pune, who had issued process against Mushrif in the case.
According to the FIR, Mushrif allegedly failed to issue share certificates to 40,000 farmers who had invested in a sugar factory back in 2012, following his advice. Mushrif, in his plea seeking to quash the FIR, claimed that the case was instigated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also registered a separate money laundering case against Mushrif based on the FIR in 2022.
In a related matter, a different bench of the High Court had previously directed the principal district judge of Pune to investigate how Kirit Somaiya obtained a copy of a magistrate's order regarding the case against Mushrif, despite not being a party to the proceedings.
TAGS: NCP split Maharashtra MLAs Bombay High Court lawyer arguments Ajit Pawar faction uncertainty cheating case Hasan Mushrif BJP government Deputy Chief Minister division bench FIR quashing plea change in circumstances public prosecutor amusement investigating officer interim protection principal district judge cross complaints share certificates investment sugar factory Kirit Somaiya Enforcement Directorate money laundering case coordination bench political upheaval.
