BMC chief dragged to HC for branding activists as ‘professional complainants’

The Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai, Ajoy Mehta, seems to have stirred up a hornet's nest by labelling activists ‘professional complainants’. The BMC chief has been dragged to the Bombay High Court by an RTI activist who seeks an explanation for the former's purported ‘crackdown’ on activism in the city.

A division bench of Justices RM Borde and VM Deshpande issued a notice to Mehta, seeking his response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by activist Kamlakar Shenoy.

In his PIL filed through advocate Aditya Bhatt, Shenoy has urged the bench to restrain Mehta from making any ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ statements for ‘shielding’ errant officials of the BMC. “In the aftermath of the massive fire in an eatery at Kamala Mills, earlier this year, the civic chief gave interviews to various media houses stating to have issued a circular asking the Deputy Municipal Commissioners (DMCs) of seven zones in the city to prepare a list of professional complainants, who file bulk Right to Information (RTI) applications, seeking details of building plans to allegedly extort money from property owners in exchange for getting them permissions or licences with the help of civic officials in order to crack down and break their backs,” the petition highlights.

“Instead of acting against errant officials responsible for giving permissions to various illegal extensions in restaurants causing mishaps, Mehta intends to shift the burden and responsibility of loss of lives and limbs and property caused by connivance of BMC officials which is headed by him on RTI and social activists. The circulars are in violation to the rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19 and 21. It will dissuade activists from filing complaints against illegal activities which endangers life and limbs of citizens and loss to public property,” the plea reads.

The petition further claims that Mehta has suo motu taken illegal action by making such a list of ‘professional complainants’, and instead, has failed to undertake ‘legalremedial’ steps by filing complaints with police or any other competent authority.

“The matter relates to public interest as it is important to protect whistle blowers and activists who with the power of pen facilitate justice in the country. The RTI Act has today become the backbone of freedom of speech and making a list of persons who make complaints against illegal activities and branding them as professional complainants is a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India,” the petition argues.