HC wants to peruse charge sheet in Maval police firing case

The Bombay High Court today said it would like to peruse the charge sheet in a criminal case pertaining to Maval taluka near Pune in which a police officer is accused of opening fire at a mob of protesters in 2011.
A bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka asked police and the state government to produce the charge sheet if it has been filed in the trial court.
The judges posted to April 18 a public interest litigation seeking CBI probe against senior police officer Sandeep Karnik, accused of opening fire at a mob in Maval in which one woman was killed.

Social activist I G Khandelwal filed the petition seeking CBI probe, after the high court refused to interfere with the state government's decision to give a clean chit to Karnik.
Khandelwal challenged the state government's decision to give a clean chit to Karnik and sought a probe by CBI.
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 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 had 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 the 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 was laid.