Congress leader Nana Patole seeks action against Maharashtra officials over CJI Gavai protocol breach

Nana Patole/ File pic

Maharashtra Congress leader and MLA Nana Patole expressed his anger towards top government officials of the state for not complying with the protocol on the arrival of the Chief Justice of India in Maharashtra.

Nana Patole, currently an MLA from the Sakoli assembly in Maharashtra, posted on social media expressing his anger and also wrote a letter to the Hon'ble President of India in this matter.

While posting on his X account, the former Maharashtra Congress president stated that when the newly appointed Chief Justice of India, Hon. Justice Bhushan Gavai, was on his visit to Maharashtra, the chief secretary along with other top government administrative and police officers of the state did not bother to follow the protocol. He further stated, "The officials did not welcome the Chief Justice of India, nor did they provide him with the necessary security."

While demanding answers to his questions, he also raised a question asking whether the Chief Justice of India was insulted just because he belonged to a scheduled caste.

On his social media post, he also wrote, "The Hon'ble Chief Justice himself, in his speech, expressed strong displeasure over the functioning of the state government and administration. These strong statements from the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India have drawn the attention of the entire country to this matter. In the wake of this incident, today, I wrote a letter to His Excellency the President, demanding action against the officers who did not follow the protocol," he added.

In his letter to the Hon'ble President of India, he wrote, "This disregard by the state officials amounts to more than an administrative lapse, and it reflects grave insensitivity towards constitutional values and social equity."

During the visit of the Hon'ble Chief Justice to Maharashtra, the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa honoured him in Mumbai on Sunday. However, the state's three highest officers, Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, Director General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla, and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, were absent from the felicitation function, violating the official protocol. Despite facing harsh criticism, these officials later met with Chief Justice of India BR Gavai during his visit to Chaityabhoomi in Dadar West, Mumbai, which is Dr BR Ambedkar's last resting place.