Urgent Plea in Bombay HC Seeks Contempt Action Against Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, Dhruv Rathee: Unmasking Alleged Defiance
A criminal writ petition has been submitted to the Bombay High Court, calling for contempt proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. The petition claims these individuals interfered with a sub-judice matter by sharing false news about the alleged hacking of electronic voting machines (EVMs) through one-time passwords (OTPs) following the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Upon being listed before Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Shyam Chandak, advocate Nilesh Ojha argued the plea was misdirected to this Bench instead of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, prompting Justice Dere to redirect the petition accordingly.
Filed by the Indian Lawyers and Human Rights Activists Association from Mumbai’s Bhandup area, the petition alleges that Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar secured the Mumbai North-West seat by a margin of 48 votes. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged against Waikar’s relative for allegedly using a mobile phone during vote counting. Media reports suggested that the EVM was unlocked using an OTP. However, the Election Commission and Mumbai Police later clarified that these reports were false, leading the newspapers involved to issue corrections.
Despite these corrections, the petition contends that the false news was shared on social media by Rathee, Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, and Raut, thereby creating misleading narratives. The plea argues these figures habitually disseminate false information and seeks punitive measures.
The petition also references a 2021 Bombay High Court order in Nilesh Navalakha vs Union of India, which stated that media trials and attempts to prejudice ongoing investigations or sub-judice matters constitute criminal contempt.
The petitioner urges the court to instruct Mumbai Police to file an FIR against the respondents for misusing public resources and fabricating evidence. Additionally, it calls for a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter, the deletion of the respondents’ social media accounts, and the cancellation of the newspapers’ registrations.
Original Story https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/plea-in-bombay-hc-seeks-contempt-action-against-rahul-gandhi-uddhav-thackeray-dhruv-rathee/article68393910.ece
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