Mumbai: Shiv Sena 'warns' HC against stalling Shivaji memorial

In an unprecedented move the Shiv Sena came down heavily on a division bench of the Bombay High Court that told the state government last Thursday that it would stall Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajrsquos marine memorial if the construction of Mazgaon Court building was not funded properlyThe editorial said that two judges of the High Court had challenged Chhatrapati Shivaji and like an extortionist put a knife on the neck of an elected government for demanding the grants Representation picIn an editorial published in its mouthpiece Saamna yesterday the saffron party warned the HC against crossing swords with the people of Maharashtra who revere Shivaji as a deity While the article lacked mention of the names from the division bench it did question the mental ability of the judges for making such observations The editorial also accused the judiciary of playing politics by claiming that the judicial appointments were politically motivatedldquoBe warned if you talk of stalling the Shivaji memorial My Lord Wersquore saying this without any fear but with all respect to you Let your law be with you Maharashtra worships Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and follows his Shivajirsquos lawrdquo stated the editorial which is seen as Senarsquos official viewpointWolf or tigerThe editorial also claimed that the judiciary looked more interested in matters beyond its purview of law than dispensing justice It questioned whether the judiciary was behaving like a wolf or a tiger ldquoOur judiciary is fond of tasting the blood of politicians A wolf attacks everyone who is in its sight but a tiger refrains from doing so if he is not hungry We wonder whether we have a Jungle Raj or the laws that were defined by Dr Ambedkar because our judiciary attacks whoever comes across itrdquo the article readsIt added that two judges of the High Court had challenged Chhatrapati Shivaji and like an extortionist put a knife on the neck of an elected government for demanding the grants ldquoThis is nothing but a threat If such a threat was made by a gunda or a politician he or she would have been booked for extortion kidnapping theft etc But who will get punishment if such a crime happens in the court itselfrdquoThe article stated that the court would have hanged an indebted farmer had he got his loan waived off by threatening a lender at gunpoint ldquoThe judges have intervened in the government matters time and againrdquo it said adding ldquoThe judges should issue government directive on expediting public welfare schemes like farmersrsquo relief homes for mill workers and police personnel But such matters of public interest are postponed for hearing and longpending for seeking justicerdquoWill you be unbiasedGiving the issue a communal angle the editorial challenged the court to make frivolous statements in the matters concerning religions like Islam Christianity and Buddhism ldquoJournalists were killed in France for publishing cartoons of Prophet Mohammad The people who threaten to stall the Shivaji memorial cannot apply uniform civil code across the country and have not advocated the need of Article 370 The loudspeakers on masjids continue to blare What have our judges done in this regardrdquo the editorial questionedThe article reiterated that it was because of Shivajirsquos heroics that the country and its religion read Hindu were protected from the onslaught of invasive forces It quoted from poet Bhushanrsquos work stating that the country would have turned into an Islamic nation in the absence of King Shivaji and his Maratha forcesThe Sena said that the Marathi people would have killed a Pakistani like Afzal Khan for making such a threat against Shivaji but the people who talk of staying the Shivaji memorial are our very own modern judicial officers ldquoWhat do these judges want to achieve by making such illegal statements Do their statements fit judicial language They should demand government grants in a legal mannerrdquo the article asserted ldquoWill you also tell the government to stall land allotment for Ambedkar memorial and scrap the Vallabhbhai Patel memorial in GujaratrdquoThe editorial further accused the judiciary of doing injustice to the poor ldquoPeople who believe that justice can be bought and judiciary is blind kneel before the judgesrdquo it saidlsquoJudges play politicsrsquoIn a startling charge the editorial accused the judiciary of playing politics ldquoJudges play politics Their appointments are very much political Postretirement the judges aspire for gubernatorial positions Lokayuktarsquos office Lokpalrsquos office or chairmanship of any commission They are free to think of their future but they must not make any untoward statements against Maharashtrarsquos history and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajrdquo the editorial statedAsking the judiciary to introspect so that the people continue to have faith in it the article said the elected government would decide the future of the memorial The article also stated ldquoWe donrsquot have any tussle with the judiciary but we were forced to express our thoughts only because of disrespect shown to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajrdquo