HC to hear plea seeking probe in alleged disproportionate assets of Uddhav Thackeray on Nov 16

A PIL was filed into alleged disproportionate assets of the Thackeray family.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it will hear a plea seeking probe in the alleged disproportionate assets of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on November 16.

A division bench of justices S.V. Gangapurwala and R.N. Laddha was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Gouri Bhide, a soft skill consultant seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Enforcement Directorate into alleged disproportionate assets of the Thackeray family.

The court however told the petitioner to, “First clear out the office objections and when the objections are removed and petition is ready, the same will be taken up for hearing.”

The PIL mentions, “Mr. Thackeray, his wife Rashmi and son Aaditya have never owned any service or business owned by them, but they still own properties in Raigad and Mumbai. It is crystal clear that they have huge undisclosed properties, cash and other wealth.”

Ms. Bhide has also alleged, “periodicals ‘Marmik’ and ‘Saamna’ - run by the Thackeray family - never being subjected to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) and claimed that during the lockdown, when print media in the country was facing heavy losses, the company ‘Prabodhan Prakashan Pvt. Ltd.’, practically owned by Thackeray family, showed a huge turnover of ₹42 crores and booked a profit of ₹11.5 crores. This was a clear case of turning black money to white.”

The plea adds the petitioner has a “hunch” that Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya must have information pertaining to the family.