Parmar suicide case: Accused opposes disqualification

Thane Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Najib Mulla, who is one of the four corporators accused in the suicide case of builder Suraj Parmar, on Monday opposed the state government’s decision to disqualify the corporators, as directed by the state government.

Mr Mulla said that they were being targeted by the ruling party and said that he would move court against the decision. The three other corporators are also upset with the decision and have decided to challenge it in court.

Citing provisions under Section 13 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, which allows the government to remove a corporator found guilty of any misconduct, the urban development department has directed the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to disqualify the four corporators within a month or else the state government would take action to disqualify them on its own.

All four corporators, who were arrested for abatement of suicide and later released on bail, said that the state’s decision was unfair.

“It is a political vendetta. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to neutralise the opposition to win the 2017 TMC election.

They are trying to finish every NCP leader so they will not face any problem during the elections. I condemn this decision and, if possible, will fight a legal battle on this issue,” Mr Mulla said.

Another corporator, Sudhakar Chavhan of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, said, “I have not yet been proven guilty in the case. It is totally unfair. I can still get a clean chit from the court. Once I will get official notice, I will decide the next step.”

Another corporator Vikrant Chavhan also said that he would challenge any action to disqualify him before the court decides on the case against him.

After spending 72 days in jail, Mulla finally got bail on February 16 on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.

The bail applications of the other three corporators — Sudhakar Chavan, Vikrant Chavan and Hanumanth Jagdlae — will come up for hearing on February 17, 20 and 22, respectively. The four had surrendered in the case.

On October 7, Parmar shot himself with his licensed firearm.

He left behind a 13-page suicide note in which he mentioned the names of these corporators, who, he said, “made his life hell”.