Clear Stand On Case Filed By Former Mayor Pednekar Against BJP MLA Shelar, HC Tells Mumbai Police

The Bombay High Court on Monday asked police to clear its position on whether it wants to pursue the case filed against BJP MLA Ashish Shelar by former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar over some remarks made by him at a press conference following a cylinder blast incident last year.
     
The HC is hearing a petition filed by Shelar seeking the quashing of the FIR registered against him on the complaint of Pednekar.
     
Shelar's lawyer Rizwan Merchant on Monday told the court there was no intention to outrage Pednekar's modesty. 
     
Merchant said police registered a case against Shelar under Indian Penal Code section 354 (A) (4) without conducting an enquiry.
     
Shelar had no intention to make any sexually coloured remark and the comment was only raising concern about the public personality not being at the spot of the incident, the lawyer said.
     
The court asked Additional Government Pleader J P Yagnik to clarify the position of the prosecution in the case and asked him whether the prosecution wanted to pursue the case.
     
Yagnik sought time to take instructions from senior police officers.
     
The court then gave a "last chance" to the prosecution seeking a "concrete stand" of the police and posted the further hearing to August 25.
     
In December last year, Marine Drive police registered an offence against Shelar after Pednekar filed a complaint over some remarks made by him in a press conference.
     
In her complaint to the police, Pednekar alleged Shelar had made derogatory remarks about her in the context of a cylinder blast at BDD Chawl in Mumbai's Worli area on November 30, which resulted in the death of four persons.