HC seeks Maha govt's reply on PIL over Maval firing case

The Bombay High Court today asked Maharashtra government to file its affidavit in response to a PIL seeking a CBI probe against senior police officer Sandeep Karnik who is accused of opening fire at a mob of protesters in Maval near Pune in 2011, killing one woman.
Social activist I G Khandelwal filed the petition seeking the CBI probe after the high court refused to interfere with the state government's decision to give a clean chit to Karnik.
Khandelwal, in his fresh petition, has challenged the state government's giving decision to give a clean chit and sought a probe by CBI.

A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and B P Colabawala today directed the government to file its affidavit in four weeks.
According to the petition, Karnik, who was then Superintendent of Police, Pune rural, had opened fire at the mob and it was his bullet that killed the woman.
The government had earlier informed the court in an affidavit that an explanation was sought from four officers and after perusal of their replies a warning was issued to Karnik and disciplinary proceedings were initiated against three police officers - inspectors Ashok Patil and Yashwant Gawari and assistant inspector Ganesh Mane.

According to the government, Karnik had fired two bullets in the air to disperse the crowd and later fired rubber bullets.
On August 8, 2011, police had opened fire on villagers protesting against the government's decision to lay a closed pipeline to supply water from Pavna dam to the limits of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Agriculturists had claimed that they would not get water for their crops if the closed pipeline is laid.