PIL questions Ganesh Naik’s right to hold janata darbars in Navi Mumbai

The petition, filed on Wednesday by Navi Mumbai Shiv Sena chief Kishore Patkar, specifically targets Naik’s role as the guardian minister of Palghar district, arguing that he has no jurisdiction to conduct such official public grievance meetings in Navi Mumbai which falls under Thane district

NAVI MUMBAI: The simmering tensions between Mahayuti partners Shiv Sena and BJP in the Thane-Navi Mumbai belt have escalated, with a public interest litigation (PIL) petition being filed in the Bombay high court challenging the controversial ‘Janta Darbar’ (People’s Court) held by senior BJP leader Ganesh Naik, who is the state forest minister and the MLA from Airoli.

BJP leader Ganesh Naik (HT Photo)

The petition, filed on Wednesday by Navi Mumbai Shiv Sena chief Kishore Patkar, specifically targets Naik’s role as the guardian minister of Palghar district, arguing that he has no jurisdiction to conduct such official public grievance meetings in Navi Mumbai which falls under Thane district.

The PIL names the state government, the urban development department that governs CIDCO, the Thane collector, and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) along with its commissioner as respondents. It raises strong objections to the mandatory presence of senior civic and government officials from NMMC, CIDCO and other departments at these hours-long meetings. The petition contends that this prevents them from attending to their regular duties and demands that their time at the darbar be considered an absence from duty, warranting a pay cut.

“The PIL states that government norms do not permit a guardian minister to hold a Janta Darbar in a district that he is not the minister of,” an NMMC official, who has seen the notice, said on condition of anonymity. “It asks the court to formulate clear guidelines on the matter.”

The legal challenge is seen as a direct fallout of the ongoing power struggle between Naik, a prominent BJP leader, and the Shiv Sena, led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, whose bastion is Thane. Naik’s aggressive outreach through these meetings in Navi Mumbai and even Thane is widely perceived as the BJP’s attempt to strengthen its foothold in the region.

The timing of the PIL is also significant, coming on the heels of recent controversies. The attendance of officials at a recent Janta Darbar in Vashi during the torrential rains that severely disrupted the city drew sharp criticism. Another incident involved a female education department official who was reportedly seen in tears following an interaction with Naik over an issue raised by a contractor, leading to accusations that the minister was unfairly siding with private parties against his own administration’s officials.

Despite the legal challenge, Naik remained defiant. Conducting a scheduled Janta Darbar in Vashi on Thursday, he asserted his right to address public issues anywhere in the state. “A minister is of the entire state,” he told reporters. “If the minister wants to hear the issues of the people in a region, he can go there, inform the administration and conduct the hearing. If someone has filed a PIL, I do not have a problem.”

Naik doubled down on his justification for the meetings, blaming administrative failures for public suffering. “Eighty percent of the problems faced by people are due to the ‘nalayak’ (incompetent) officials in the system,” he said. “If someone messes with people’s issues deliberately, there is a need to speak out firmly. If one cannot do this, why become an MLA or minister?”