Court orders Sena-BJP to pay Rs 20 lakh each for bandh call

A DIVISION bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to pay Rs. 20 lakh each as compensation to the state government towards loses and damages incurred during the band, called by the parties on July 30, 2003.

The Sena-BJP combine had called for a bandh to protest the bomb blast on a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking bus parked near the Ghatkopar bus depot on July 28, 2003.

Two persons were killed and 31 others injured in the explosion.

Wednesday's judgement was in response to a public interest litigation filed by non-governmental organization Action for Good Governance and Networking in India (AGNI) and four independent daily wage earners.

AGNI pegged overall losses to the city at Rs 50 crore.

The AGNI petitioners included advertising guru Gerson da Cunha, theatre personality Alyque Padamsee and former bureaucrat B. G. Deshmukh.

The division bench of Justices A. P. Shah and S. U. Kamdar have now given the political parties eight weeks to pay the compensation to the state.

BJP advocate Subhash Jha, however, says the party will appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court.

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