BMC Standing Committee Meeting Postponed as Corporators Attend 2020 Case Hearing
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Standing Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday was postponed after corporators, including Standing Committee chairperson Prabhakar Shinde, were required to attend court proceedings concerning a 2020 protest case registered by the Colaba police.
The meeting was called off around 2 pm on Wednesday so that accused corporators could remain available for the court hearing. The postponement came amid concerns following the detention of BJP corporator Akash Rajpurohit, who had been taken into custody for arriving late at a previous hearing on August 5 and remanded to court custody for two days.
Shinde explained that he arrived at the court on Wednesday morning, but the matter was scheduled for the afternoon. After exiting the premises, the corporators were called back at 1:30 pm. Shinde said he decided to postpone the committee meeting to Thursday as it was not possible to chair the civic proceeding while being present in court.
Two other corporators serving on the Standing Committee—Mahim corporator Sheetal Gambhir and education committee chairperson Rajshree Shirwadkar—are also named as accused in the matter. Rajpurohit stated that he had initially reached the court at 10:45 am on Wednesday before its 11 am scheduled start, but went to attend a BEST Committee meeting after the matter was shifted to the afternoon. He returned promptly upon receiving a call at 1:15 pm.
The case dates back to a demonstration held at BEST Bhavan during the Covid-19 lockdown, in which BJP leaders demanded a six-month waiver on electricity bills. More than a dozen corporators were booked in connection with the incident, including legislative assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar and minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha.
The Colaba police booked Rajpurohit and 18 other corporators under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and the Epidemic Diseases Act for offences relating to unlawful assembly during an epidemic, rioting, and assaulting a public servant.
Non-bailable warrants had been issued on August 5 against five BJP corporators, including Shinde and Rajpurohit. Rajpurohit was arrested after Justice Mahesh Jadhav observed it was his second late appearance, though Rajpurohit stated the delay was caused by a lift issue. Warrants against the other four corporators were cancelled later that day.
The BMC Standing Committee meeting has been rescheduled to take place on Thursday at 3 pm.
