SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, April 20: Ever imagined that a public interest litigation (PIL) will be used to move the State government to open an office in the Jharkhand capital for the banned ultra outfits and criminals where they can collect levy from businessmen, professionals and other groups.
It sought the State government to allot an office space for criminals like Sujit Sinha and Aman Sao.
The PIL for such a bizarre demand has been made on the ground that the criminals as well as banned outfits are demanding ransom from almost every second person who is in business or any profession in Jharkhand and the police are not in a position to catch them or restrict their activities. So, there should be a proper place where the ransom and levy may be safely deposited.
Also, the ED is not confiscating their properties created out of proceeds of crime, it added. The PIL, filed by one Anuranjan Ashok in 2020, also demanded the NIA to launch a massive operation against the Maoists.
Expectedly, when a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and Justice Ananda Sen took up this PIL today, it was angry to find how come such a PIL could be filed.
Making strong remarks and expressing strong displeasure, the bench orally said that an unprecedented number of PILs have been filed in the last few years.
The court orally said that the number of PILs that happen in Jharkhand, hardly happen anywhere else. It appears that this is a misuse of the facility to file PIL, the bench observed.
Thereafter, the applicant withdrew the PIL with the permission of the court. Advocate Rajeev Kumar appeared on behalf of the applicant Anuranjan Ashok. On the other hand, Additional Advocate General Ashutosh Anand appeared in the court on behalf of the state government.
