Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Wednesday directed a petitioner to deposit Rs2 lakh to establish the bona fides of a PIL concerning alleged encroachment on tribal land in Bhandara district, cautioning that the amount would be forfeited if the intent behind the petition is found to be improper.A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode passed the order while hearing a plea filed by Akhilesh Tiwari, who alleged that land belonging to the tribal dept at Sitasawangi in Tumsar was under illegal occupation by a polytechnic institution for nearly four decades.According to the petition, the lease granted to the institution expired and was not renewed by the state govt, yet possession of the land was not relinquished. The plea sought directives for restoration of land to the tribal authorities.The state, represented by assistant govt pleader Deepak Thakre, raised questions over the petitioner’s intent. The court was informed that Tiwari was previously employed as head of the electronics dept at the same institution and was removed from service. The state suggested that the litigation may have been initiated to settle personal scores with the management.Taking note of these submissions, the bench initially directed the petitioner to deposit Rs10 lakh to demonstrate bona fides. However, on a request made by counsel Sandeep Badana, citing the petitioner’s recent termination and financial constraints, the court reduced the amount to Rs2 lakh and is to be deposited within four weeks.
