The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the Police Commissioner to completely eliminate the menace of illegal food joints, restaurants and similar establishments operating across the city.
The court warned that if the problem persists, serious questions would be raised about the efficiency and functioning of the officers concerned.The High Court also issued notices to the Principal Secretary of the Home Department, the State Excise Commissioner and the Police Commissioner, asking them to file replies to the allegations in the petition by January 14.
The directions were issued while hearing a criminal public interest litigation filed by vigilant citizens Dr. Lalit Harode, Asim Bordiya and Mridula Fadke. The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Rajnish Vyas. Calling it a serious issue of public interest, the court said the police should not take a negative approach and must act strictly to restore normalcy in the city.
Merely registering FIRs would not solve the problem, the Bench observed.The petitioners pointed out that the first FIR against illegal dhabas and restaurants in Shankar Nagar was registered on July 28, 2018, at Bajaj Nagar Police Station under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act.
Despite around 50 FIRs being registered since then, the situation remains unchanged, the petition claimed. Senior Advocate Akshay Naik and Advocate Parth Malviya appeared for the petitioners.
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