Sharad Pawar calls for withdrawal of August 24 Maharashtra bandh after Bombay HC ruling

Mumbai: In view of a Bombay High Court ruling, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday appealed for withdrawal of Saturday's Maharashtra bandh called by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The call for the bandh on Saturday (August 24) was given by the opposition alliance, of which the NCP (SP) is a constituent, to protest against sexual assault on two four-year-old girls in a school in Badlapur in adjoining Thane district allegedly by an attendant of the institute.

In a post on X, Pawar said the bandh call was given in exercise of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, but the judiciary also needs to be respected.

Earlier in the day, the HC restrained political parties or even individuals from calling for a Maharashtra bandh. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar said the Maharashtra government shall take all necessary steps to prevent a bandh.

"Due to time constraint it is not possible to appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court order (on bandh). The Indian judiciary is a constitutional body and in respect of the order given, the bandh call should be withdrawn," Pawar said after the HC ruling.

The Rajya Sabha MP said there was tremendous anger over the shameful incident which took place in the Badlapur school and the bandh call was an attempt to draw the government's attention to the ire of people.