Bombay HC Says Plea Seeking Probe Against Uddhav Thackeray, Family Over Disproportionate Assets Not Maintainable

Mumbai, Dec 22: The Bombay High Court on Monday observed that a petition seeking a probe against former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his family members for allegedly owning assets disproportionate to their known sources of income was not maintainable.

Petition Filed By Abhay And Gouri Bhide

The petition was filed by Abhay Bhide and his daughter Gouri Bhide, who alleged that no effective action had been taken on their complaints lodged in 2021–22.

Earlier PIL Already Dismissed In 2023

A bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and RR Bhonsale noted that a similar public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Bhides had already been dismissed by the High Court in March 2023, and therefore the present plea could not be entertained in its current form. The court, however, said it would hear the matter in January.

Allegations Against EOW For Inaction

The Bhides had approached the HC again claiming that despite assurances made earlier, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police had failed to take any concrete steps on their complaint alleging that the Thackeray family possessed assets beyond known sources of income.

Timeline Of Complaints Cited In Plea

As per the petition, Gouri Bhide had first submitted a complaint to the Mumbai Police Commissioner on July 11, 2022, which was forwarded the same day to the EOW. A reminder was sent on July 26, 2022.

The petitioners claimed that in December 2022, the state government had decided to initiate an inquiry, but no statements were recorded nor was the complainant informed of any progress.

Demand For Probe By Central Agencies

The petition sought directions to transfer the inquiry from the EOW to central agencies, including the CBI and ED, for a fresh investigation and forensic audit. It also sought court-monitored status reports and withdrawal of the earlier direction requiring payment of Rs 25,000 to the Advocates’ Welfare Fund.

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HC Had Termed Earlier PIL Abuse Of Process

In March 2023, the Bombay High Court had dismissed a similar PIL filed by Bhide, terming it an “abuse of process of law”. At the time, counsel for the Thackerays had opposed the plea, arguing that it was based on assumptions and lacked material evidence.

Chinoy had pointed out that the petitioner had an alternate remedy of filing a private complaint before a magistrate. The HC had also noted that the EOW had initiated a preliminary inquiry and imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on the petitioner.

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