STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI
The Bombay High Court on Friday transferred the public interest litigation, alleging malpractice committed by Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in land allotment at Latur, to the Aurangabad Bench of the High Co
urt.
While dealing with the issue, a division bench headed by Chief justice Mohit Shah said, ” Since the land is based in Latur, and since all the transfer deeds were executed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation ( MIDC) for the Vilasrao Deshmukh Foundation ( VDF) in Latur, this bench of the High Court does not have the jurisdiction.” The PIL was filed by five Latur- based agriculturists seeking CBI probe into allotment of land to the Latur- based trust run by Deshmukh. Petitioners have taken exception to the allotment of two lakh square metres of land by MIDC to the VDF for setting up educational institution.
The land was allotted when Deshmukh was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
The petition alleged that land was allotted at Deshmukhs behest, for alt39 illegal, malafide and corrupt considerations.alt39 While during hearing, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing the petitioners, had stated that Bombay bench of the High Court should hear the case because both MIDC and CBI have offices in Mumbai.
But the court rejected this argument, saying that by this logic every PIL against the government decision would have to be heard in Mumbai because the Mantralaya is in the city.
However, the High Court has stayed its order of transfer for 12 weeks, to enable the petitioners to challenge it before the Supreme Court.
It is to be noted that this issue had been raised by the same five agriculturists, who had challenged the allotment of land in suburban Mumbai to film- maker Subhash Ghais Whistling Woods Film Institute.
