Court tells Sena to pay up

The Shiv Sena will have to pay Rs 5.8 lakh for vandalising the premises of Hotel Intercontinental [now Hotel Intercontinental The Lalit] in January 2009.

The Shiv Sena will have to pay Rs 5.8 lakh for vandalising the premises of Hotel Intercontinental [now Hotel Intercontinental The Lalit] in January 2009.

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The Bombay High Court has asked Sena member Sitaram Dalvi to ask the party to pay up for damaging the hotel.

Dalvi is facing proceedings for recovery of Rs. 7.8 lakh for damaging hotel property during protests over the sacking of some employees. Dalvi had already deposited Rs 2 lakh before moving court.

“Go to your party chief and ask him to come out with the balance amount from party funds,” said a division bench of Justices Ranjana Desai and Mridula Bhatkar. “Prima facie it has been found that Shiv Sena was responsible for the damages and not this person [Dalvi].”

Dalvi moved the court after the suburban collector, in October 2009, issued him a notice to pay Rs. 7.8 lakh as damages. His lawyer, Shriram Kulkarni, said other party leaders had also participated in the march. But, they were not asked to pay.

Dalvi had, on Wednesday, said that Raut and Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, should also be held responsible for the act.

Public prosecutor Usha Kejriwal, however, maintained that Dalvi was responsible for the damages because he had organised the protest. But the judges were not impressed with her argument.