Petition in HC challenges stay by Eknath Shinde on 400 GRs issued by MVA govt

Four pensioners and a social worker have approached the Bombay high court challenging the decision of the Eknath Shinde government to stay, and cancel nearly 400 government resolutions (GRs) passed by the erstwhile Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi regime headed by Uddhav Thackeray

Four pensioners and a social worker have approached the Bombay high court challenging the decision of the Eknath Shinde government to stay, and cancel nearly 400 government resolutions (GRs) passed by the erstwhile Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi regime headed by Uddhav Thackeray. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday.

The Bombay high court HT Archives

The plea was filed on July 30 by Kishore Gajbhiye, Ramhari Shinde, Jagannath Abhyankar and Kishore Medhe, and Sanjay Lakhe Patil, a social worker, through advocate Satish Talekar.

It said that the July 21 circular issued by chief minister Shinde was in violation of the constitution and the Conduct of Business Rules, and hence, it should be quashed.

The plea also claimed that Shinde’s decision was without jurisdiction and therefore non est as he could not have issued the communication to cancel the GRs in the absence of a council of ministers.

The petitioners said that the CM’s order to stay development projects and cancel the appointments of members to statutory boards, commissions, and committees that were sanctioned through the GRs was against public interest and the state could not do that merely because another political party had come to power.

The plea also referred to the stay on the projects that had been granted technical sanction and administrative approval and said it was detrimental to the socio-economic development of the state and that the delay of the projects would result in the loss of hundreds of crores to the state exchequer every day.

It concluded that the circular should be set aside and the appointments and development projects stayed or cancelled should be reversed.