FIR against Aaditya Thackeray for ‘inaugurating’ bridge without permission

Mumbai, November 18

Mumbai Police registered a case against Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray and a few others on Saturday for allegedly ‘inaugurating’ a part of a bridge in Lower Parel area of the city without the civic body’s permission, an official said.

Thackeray, a former Maharashtra minister, claimed that the construction of the bridge was completed two weeks ago. But, it was not opened to the public as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had no time to inaugurate the bridge.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Thackeray based on a complaint lodged by a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official.

A police official said that as per the complaint, Thackeray, Sena’s members of legislative council Sachin Ahir and Sunil Shinde, former mayors Kishori Pednekar and Snehal Ambekar, and 15 to 20 others inaugurated the second carriageway of Delisle Bridge on Thursday night.

The bridge was located in Thackeray’s Worli constituency.

The act of inauguration was illegal as the bridge was still incomplete and not certified safe for use. Its premature use could pose a risk to motorists, the complaint said.

The FIR was registered under Sections 143, 149 (both pertaining to Unlawful Assembly), 336 (Rash or Negligent Act) and 447 (Criminal Trespass) of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.

The Mumbai Municipal Commissioner currently acts as a state government-appointed administrator as the term of the BMC’s general body has expired.

Eknath Shinde became Chief Minister in June 2022 after splitting the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.