UP lawyer who ducked HC fine ‘pays’ at last for PIL against Guv

A team of UP Police arrested Pande on June 3 and produced him before Justice Akil Kureshi of the Gujarat HC at the latter’s residence in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

Additional Public Prosecutor J K Shah said Pande deposited Rs 25,000 with HC registry and gave an undertaking that he would remain present before the Chief Court of HC on June 11. “Following this,the court suspended the NBW and released Pande,” Shah said.

According to Shah,Pande complained that he was arrested on June 3 and was kept in custody by police till his production before the court without obtaining even a transit warrant. “Justice Kureshi has ordered that he may raise his grievances at appropriate time before appropriate forum,” Shah said.

Last year,Pande had moved a PIL stating that the appointment of Kamla Beniwal as Governor of Gujarat was unconstitutional because the President had not obtained consent of Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the same.

Pande,introducing himself as a president of Hindu Personal Law Board,a non-government organisation,had moved the PIL arguing that under the constitutional provisions if a person is not acceptable as Governor to the elected government of a province,he/she should not be posted in that state.

Pande also argued that before appointing a person as Governor in a state,the state government’s acceptance must be obtained.

A division bench of HC comprising the then acting Chief Justice A L Dave and Justice J B Pardiwala had,in October last year,dismissed the PIL while asking if it was a publicity interest litigation or personal interest litigation.

Pande had earlier hit headlines in 2006 when he had announced a Rs 51-crore “reward” to kill late M F Hussain for allegedly making “obscene” paintings of Hindu goddesses.