Bombay High Court struck down the decision of BMC to disqualify BJP corporator

The Bombay High Court on Monday rejected the decision of the General Body of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to disqualify BJP nominee corporator Bhalchandra Shirsat as a member of the standing committee.  The High Court ordered his reinstatement as a member of the Standing Committee of the Civil Body.

Shirsat had approached the high court on October 21, 2020 following the disqualification of the chairman of the standing committee.  A division bench comprising Chief Justice Deepankar Dutta and Justice Girish Kulkarni had reserved the order last month after considering Shirsat's plea.  During the hearing, the court was told that the rules on which the BMC Standing Committee relied to disqualify Shirsat were not in accordance with the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and were therefore "illegal" and "exercise of power".   

The Standing Committee disqualified Shirsat based on the fact that a member was required to be an elected member, and Shirsat's disqualification was justified as he was a nominated member.