Supreme Court pulls up Maharashtra for illegal custody of 80-year-old

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Maharashtra government for keeping in illegal custody for four days two cable operators, including an 80-year-old woman allegedly for non-payment of entertainment tax.

A Bench of Justices J.S. Khehar and Ms R. Banumathi issued notice to the State government on a special leave petition filed by Ms Vijaya Nitin H. Naukariya, whose husband and mother-in-law of another petitioner Mahendra Bhaurao Shastrakar were the victims at the hands of the police.

The bench expressed serious concern over the arrests and told Maharashtra counsel, “Tell your government that this is a serious matter. We will not allow this to happen. We want you to produce in four weeks the records indicating when was the two persons arrested; under whose orders and why were kept in custody along with criminals.”

The petitioners Ms Vijaya Nitin and Mahendra Bhaurao Shastrakar in their appeal against the Bombay High Court order submitted that they filed habeas corpus petitions seeking the release of their relatives in the context of illegal arrest and their detention.

They raised serious questions about the illegal nature of arrest of the persons in question and the handcuffing of one of them. They said that one of the persons is a 80-year-old woman.

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