Bombay HC asks NGO to make PWP president party in plea

Mumbai: Bombay high court on Monday asked the petitioner, a NGO named Protection of Rights Association, to make Jayant Patil, president of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), a respondent in the PIL on coastal security. The HC was hearing a petition filed by the NGO alleging that after 26/11, the state government had procured 23 speedboats from a firm owned by Patil, Marine Frontiers Private Limited, which were found to be defective. The petition claimed that contrary to the firm’s claims, the speedboats were not bullet-proof.

The petition stated that in 2009, the state government took three contradictory decisions awarding contract for supply of 23 speedboats to Marine Frontiers Private Limited for a combined cost of Rs 54 crore. It further alleged that the state government favoured Marine Frontiers and rejected proposals of US and Dubai-based companies on grounds that it could not wait for such outside companies to come and repair the boats if any emergency cropped up.

The NGO pointed out lacunae in the procurement of speedboats by state and Mumbai police for surveillance of coastal areas to restrict terrorists from entering Mumbai or the coastal region of Maharashtra. The NGO also informed that the speedboats were of substandard quality.

The petitioner prayed that a SIT be constituted including a retired HC Justice to investigate the entire boat purchasing process.