PIL filed over venue for Anna's Mumbai fast
23 Dec 2011
The uncertainty over the venue for anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's proposed 3-day fast continued yesterday with NGO Jagruk Nagrik Manch filing a writ petition in the Bombay High Court seeking direction to the state government to allot a place where the protest could be held.
The petition is likely be taken up for hearing today.
Himanshu Shah of India Against Corruption (IAC), which is spearheading the campaign told PTI that the Maharashtra government was not giving a place to protest peacefully and they had to therefore file the petition. Shah takes care of the legal matters of IAC.
Jagruk Nagrik Manch is an IAC affiliate.
On Wednesday, an IAC team visited Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA) to seek permission for the 30,000-sq-mt ground in BKC. They were told the cost would come to Rs19 lakh for three days including rent of Rs11,31,678 and a refundable deposit of Rs7,69,500.
Anna had said that he had the democratic right to protest and the space should be provided by the government at nominal cost, according to sources. In a statement IAC said though there were donors, Anna had refused to spend that amount as it was public money.
