Mumbai News: Bombay HC Convicts Navi Mumbai Society Member For Contempt, Awards One Week Jail
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday convicted a woman from Seawoods Estate Society, Navi Mumbai, on charges of contempt of court for making contemptuous comments against the court and its judges. The society had come under the HC scanner for not allowing one of its members to feed stray dogs.
A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Advait Sethna sentenced Vineeta Srinandan, a managing committee member of the society, to simple imprisonment for a week and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000.
Refusing to accept the contemnor’s “crocodile tears” and “routine sorry,” the court asked Srinandan to surrender immediately before the high court police. However, following a request from Srinandan’s counsel, the HC stayed its order and suspended her sentence for eight days.
The society had come under the HC scanner for not allowing one of its members, Leela Verma, to feed stray dogs and for not permitting the member’s maid to enter the society premises.
The court, on February 5, also took serious note of contemptuous communication issued by society representatives, particularly cultural director Vineeta Srinandan and authorised representative Alok Agarwal. The HC stated that the emails and letters exchanged appeared to amount to criminal contempt of court.
The court emphasised that the tone and content of this communication were “conscious and brazenly derogatory,” showing clear disregard for its previous order dated January 21. Agarwal, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner society, acknowledged the lapse and assured the bench of an unconditional apology. He stated that the letters written by Srinandan and the email addressed to Verma would be unconditionally withdrawn.
The court had then directed the board of directors to pass a resolution “expressing regret and remorse” for the actions taken by Srinandan and to state any action the board proposed to take against her for such conduct. It had also asked the committee members to submit an affidavit of “unconditional apology.”
About The Case
The case stems from an ongoing dispute regarding the rights of residents to feed stray dogs and the alleged harassment faced by Verma. On January 21, the court ruled that if the society had any grievances regarding feeding or the designated areas, it should approach the municipal corporation rather than harassing residents. The court specifically barred the society from obstructing municipal authorities from taking lawful actions and prohibited interference with residents feeding strays at designated spots.
Verma had filed an application in the petition filed by the society challenging Rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. The rule mandates that residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) and apartment owners’ associations (AOAs) allow stray animals to be fed on their premises. It also requires local authorities to designate feeding areas and make necessary arrangements for community animals.
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