As Uddhav Thackeray took charge of the government in Maharashtra on Thursday, former CM Devendra Fadnavis received summons from Nagpur Police, issued by a local court in connection with a case where he is accused of concealing information about two criminal matters against him in his election affidavit.
The summons were delivered at Fadnavis’s home in Nagpur, who is an MLA from Nagpur, said an official of Sadar Police Station. The development came on the day a new Shiv Sena-led government was sworn in in Maharashtra.
A magistrate’s court, on November 1, had restored an application seeking criminal proceedings against the BJP leader for alleged non-disclosure.
Nagpur-based lawyer Satish Uke had filed an application in the court seeking that criminal proceedings be initiated against Fadnavis. The Bombay High Court had upheld the lower court’s earlier order dismissing Uke’s petition. But the Supreme Court, on October 1, directed the magistrate’s court to go ahead with the application filed by Uke.
The magistrate’s court on November 4 said the case would be held as a summary criminal case, and issued notice. “Process (notice) is issued against accused (Fadnavis) for offence punishable under section 125A of Representation of People Act, 1951,” magistrate SD Mehta said.
Cases of cheating and forgery were filed against Devendra Fadnavis in 1996 and 1998, but charges were not framed in both the matters. Uke alleged that Fadnavis did not disclose this information in his election affidavits.