Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis received a court summons regarding a 1966 criminal case that he didn’t mention in his election affidavit
The summons was delivered at Fadnavis’s house in Nagpur, said an official of Sadar Police Station.
The development came on the day a new Shiv Sena-led government was sworn-in in Maharashtra. Fadnavis is MLA from Nagpur.
A magistrate’s court, on November 1, had restored an application seeking criminal proceedings against the BJP leader for alleged non-disclosure.
City-based lawyer Satish Uke had filed an application in the court seeking that criminal proceedings be initiated against Fadnavis.
The Bombay High Court had upheld the lower court’s earlier order dismissing Uke’s plea. But the Supreme Court, on October 1, directed the magistrate’s court to go ahead with the application filed by Uke.
The magistrate’s court on November 4 said the case would be held as a summary criminal case, and issued notice.
“Process (notice) is issued against accused (Fadnavis) for offence punishable under section 125A of Representation of People Act, 1951,” magistrate S D Mehta said.
Cases of cheating and forgery were filed against Fadnavis in 1996 and 1998, but charges were not framed in both the matters. Uke alleged that Fadnavis did not disclose this information in his election affidavits.
Prasanta Patnaik