Nw Desk Maha Vikas Aghadi, the alliance of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, have called off the Bandh, which they had decided to do on Saturday, August 24.
There were reports about the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress calling for a Maharashtra Bandh on Saturday, August 24. However, Sharad Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief, appealed to withdraw the Bandh on Saturday in view of a Bombay High Court ruling. NCP (SP), which is a part of the MVP alliance, had initially called for a statewide Bandh protesting against the sexual assault on two 4-year-old school girls in Thane’s Badlapur to pressure the government for swift action.
Bombay High Court ruling on Maharashtra Bandh.
On Friday, the Bombay High Court intervened and restrained all political parties and individuals from supporting or participating in the Bandh. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar said that the Maharashtra government should take all necessary steps to prevent the Bandh. Sharad Pawar took to X in Marathi and posted, “In the wake of the Badlapur incident, a statewide public shutdown was called for tomorrow…This was an attempt to draw the government’s attention to this matter. However, the Bombay High Court ruled that the Bandh was unconstitutional. Due to time constraints, it is not possible to appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court order (on Bandh). The Indian judiciary is a constitutional body, and with respect to the order given, the Bandh call should be withdrawn.”
Congress also withdrew the Bandh.
Congress also withdrew the Bandh, and state unit Chief Nana Patole told workers that it would stage protests across Maharashtra from 11 am to 12 noon on Saturday. He said, “Honouring Bombay High Court judgment, all Congress leaders will protest in all Maharashtra district headquarters with black bands on their face/mouth from 11 am to 12 noon against the cases of sexual harassment against women and failure of Maharashtra govt to prevent that. I will be part of the protest in Thane district.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray expressed disagreement with the ruling and said, “We respect the court.”
