Cong corporators drag mayor to court

Three Congress corporators have dragged Mumbai Mayor Shraddha Jadhav to the Bombay High Court over the alleged malpractice adopted by her during elections for the post of chairman, F Ward Committee.

Three Congress corporators have dragged Mumbai Mayor Shraddha Jadhav to the Bombay High Court over the alleged malpractice adopted by her during elections for the post of chairman, F Ward Committee.

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The petitioners, Ravi Raja, Raghunath Thavai, Pracila Kadam, all from F Ward, have alleged that Jadhav had indulged in malpractice and committed fraud while declaring the winning candidate through lucky draw on April 16. Jadhav also represents the same ward.

They have alleged that the mayor had picked up a marked chit to get Anil Pawar, a candidate of her choice, elected in the fray.

The winning candidate was decided through lucky draw after both contesting candidates secured equal votes — eight each.

The petition states that the whole episode — Jadhav marking one of the two chits bearing names of rival candidates before the chits were put in, and drawing the marked chit — has also been recorded on camera.

“The alleged malpractice on part of the mayor has been recorded on camera and we have a CD of it,” senior lawyer S.U. Kamdar, who represented the petitioners, told the high court on Wednesday.

After hearing counsels from both sides, a vacation bench of Justice Abhay Oak and Justice Mridula Bhatkar directed Jadhav and the municipal corporation to file their reply.

The matter will come up for hearing on Friday, said Jadhav’s lawyer Balkrishna Joshi.

The petition also takes an exception to Jadhav presiding over the ward committee election, as she also happened to be one of the voters.