Bombay HC pulls up Kolhapur collector for destroying soybean crops to use land for Mahashivratri
India Today
Farmer Shashikala Ambade and others showed photographs of the lush green fields being trampled by JCB machines on the order of the authorities. The Kolhapur collector has said that the Mahashivratri event will be held on the public road.
Coming down heavily on the collector of Kolhapur and Chief Officer, Kurundwad Municipal Council, the Bombay high court has ‘restrained by an order of injunction from using any part of the land/field of the Petitioners for the festival of Mahashivratri’.
The division bench of Justices SJ Kathawalla and MN Jadhav were hearing a petition filed by a farmer from Kolhapur whose soybean field was destroyed by authorities to celebrate Mahashivratri.
Farmer Shashikala Ambade and others showed photographs of the lush green fields being trampled by JCB machines on the order of the authorities.
The Collector of Kolhapur and the Chief Officer of Kurundwad Municipal Council were present before the court through video-conference.
The bench noted that the officers ‘tried to defend their action of destroying the soybean crop on the petitioners' field by saying that in the meeting held, a member of the petitioner’s family had consented to the said action of the respondents which the petitioners before us have denied.’
The officers said that the land was taken for a period of 15 days for the Mahashivratri festivities.
The court asked the Collector and the Chief Officer to produce the minutes of the said meeting and the signatures obtained from those present at the meeting. However, the officers were unable to produce any minutes of the meeting or signatures.
