In his ruling, Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya said, "We are restraining any political party or individual from proceeding with a call for bandh. We will also direct the State to take all steps in terms of the B G Deshmukh judgment."
The Bombay High Court on Friday (August 23) issued a restraining order prohibiting any political party or individual from calling for a Maharashtra Bandh. The directive comes in the wake of the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA)'s plans for a statewide bandh on August 24, in protest against the alleged rape of two minors in Badlapur.
In his ruling, Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya said, "We are restraining any political party or individual from proceeding with a call for bandh. We will also direct the State to take all steps in terms of the B G Deshmukh judgment."
This order arrives just hours after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray demanded the withdrawal of charges against individuals who protested in Badlapur over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten students. Thackeray warned that the opposition would take to the streets if this demand was not met.
Addressing the media, Thackeray stressed that the proposed August 24 'Maharashtra Bandh' by the opposition is a stand against "perversion" and called on citizens from all communities to participate.
Thackeray criticized the Eknath Shinde government's response to the Badlapur protest, saying, "Arrests are still taking place in Badlapur. The cases against the protesters must be withdrawn, or else we will have to hit the streets."