HC gives police protection to man threatened by Kalani

Thane Police Commissioner to provide police protection to a resident of Ulhasnagar, who had allegedly been threatened by the son of former MLA and former Tada detenu Suresh Pappu Kalani during local elections early this year.

Hearing a petition filed by the aggrieved resident Sunil Sukhramani, Justice V M Kanade ordered the police to provide him protection within 48 hours as alleged threats by Omi Kalani, son of the former MLA, still continued.

Observing that police had still not arrested Kalani, against whom two FIRs were registered and even though his anticipatory bail had been rejected earlier by the High Court, Justice Kanade warned that he may consider ordering the Home Ministry to conduct an inquiry into the role of police and may even think of transferring the investigations to CBI.

The petitioner prayed that his uncle and aunt had contested elections to Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation on February 16, 2012 against Suresh Kalani and his wife Jyoti.

Prior to elections, on November 12, 2011, the petitioner said he was assaulted by Omi Kalani and his associates. This was witnessed by Prakash Kalwani, who tried to intervene. However, both were assaulted by Kalani and his men and threatened at the point of gun to stop their relatives from contesting elections in wards against the Kalani family.

A police complaint was registered against them. Later,

they were threatened once again and another complaint was registered against Omi Kalani who moved the High Court for anticipatory bail, which was dismissed as withdrawn on February 3. He filed another bail petition, which was rejected later.

The petitioner prayed that despite rejection of bail, Kalani was moving around and continued to put out the threats.

He said the local police had failed to take action, following which, the matter was handed over to the State CID. Even then, no action had been taken as Jyoti Kalani belonged to the ruling party in the State, the petitioner alleged and urged the Court to institute a CBI probe into the matter.