The Bombay High Court today asked Maharashtra government to explain why it did not consider the autopsy and chemical analysis reports of a woman, killed in the Maval police firing incident of 2011, during the departmental inquiry against four police officials.
The division bench of Justices A S Oka and A P Bhangale was hearing a PIL filed by the activist I G Khandelwal seeking action against the then Superintendent of Police Sandeep Karnik and others over the incident in which three persons were killed.
While the government claimed that Karnik fired two real bullets in the air to disperse the mob and then fired plastic bullets into the mob, Khandelwal alleges that a real bullet fired by Karnik killed the woman.
At the last hearing, the HC had sought the post-mortem and chemical analysis reports and also the report of M G Gaikwad committee to verify the petitioner’s claim.
The government had earlier said in an affidavit that explanations were sought from four officers and subsequently a warning was issued to Karnik while disciplinary proceedings were initiated against inspectors Ashok Patil and Yashwant Gawari and Assistant Inspector Ganesh Mane.
The court today asked if the government had considered all the reports during the inquiry. “If the Gaikwad committee did not look into all this, is it not the state government’s duty to do so?” Justice Oka said.
The court gave the government a week to file its reply.
On August 8, 2011, police had opened fire on villagers who had blocked the Expressway near Maval in Pune district.
They were protesting against the government’s decision to lay a closed pipeline from Pavna dam to Pimpri-Chinchwad, fearing that they would lose the water which percolates into adjoining fields from the existing open canal.
