Bombay HC pulls BMC officer over contempt, asks him to pay Rs 1L fine

The Bombay High Court recently pulled the assistant municipal commissioner of BMC ward C for breach of order after he failed to personally hear the owner of Lalit Restaurant amp Bar at Dhobi Talao before passing a demolition order Paying heed to the courts decision the assistant municipal commissioner apologised for his mistake and agreed to pay Rs 1 lakh fine towards KEM Hospitals poor patients fundAlso ReadBombay HC questions Maharashtra govt on FIR against woman for tweetsA bench comprising of Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Riyaz Chagla told assistant municipal commissioner Chakrapani Alle on Thursday Tell us what fine you will pay or well take you in custody till the court rises It is a clear case of contemptAccording to a report in Times of India after hearing a second petition by hotelier Lalit Dsouza during the previous hearing on November 5the HC had asked Alle to show cause why action should not be taken against him for not complying with the August 11 high court orderHotelier Dsouza who owns Lalit Restaurant amp Bar had initially challenged the August 3 demolition order passed by Alle regarding an alleged illegal portion of the over 4300 sq ft eatery following a complaint by Shiv Sena corporator Amey GholeAlso Read Rape has serious impact on society Bombay HC declines to quash FIROn August 11 the HC quashed the demolition order and set aside Alles order and directed that Dsouza be given a personal hearing However on September 27 Alle passed another razing order Post this Dsouza once again moved the HC which on November 5 set aside the demolition order and stated that Alle will not deal with the matter furtherSenior advocate Anil Sakhare standing for BMC said that it was a bonafide mistake by Alle due to work pressure as hes managing 17 internal departments and 3000 staffers Sakhare further said that Alle is also managing the additional charge of the B ward and is keeping the COVID19 case count low in his wardTo this Justice Kathawalla pointed out In the August order we had mentioned about his Alles conduct in March It cant be a mistake He is repeatedly doing it He further said that in Dsouzas case he is doing something which is mischievous adding Where was the need to paste the notice Just because corporator says he must do itAlso ReadTheir relation was consensual SC acquits man in 20yrold rape caseWhen the HC questioned Alle as to when he had received the August 11 order he said that neither had he read the order nor did his staff bring to notice that he had to give a personal hearing to Dsouza Responding to Alles remark Justice Kathawalla asked What sort of officer you are You are assistant commissionerand you dont bother to read HCs orderUpon realising his mistake Alle with folded hands said Im extremely sorry While the court accepted his apology it gave him the option of paying a fine or facing a sentence for contempt When Alle agreed to pay Rs 1 lakh fine Justice Kathawalla said Let him pay to your BMC own hospital The judges will soon pass a formal order in the caseRead the latest crime stories in Mumbai and rest of IndiaKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news