The goverment had claimed vindication of its stand on “action against state violence” when State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) sub-inspector Manohar Kadam was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sewree fast track court after a 12-year legal tussle on May 7 this year. But, it is yet to appeal against the Bombay High Court order which granted bail to Kadam and suspended his sentence, even after two-and-a-half months.

With just few days left for the 90-day deadline for challenging the order in the Supreme Court, the state is yet to approach the apex court. Interestingly, a group of activists who had fought to secure the conviction has also fallen silent.

Kadam was convicted for ordering indiscriminate firing on a Dalit mob in Ramabai Nagar, Ghatkopar, on July 11, 1997, in which 10 persons were killed and 25 injured. The mob was protesting against the desecration of an Ambedkar statue.

Senior lawyer Sangraj Rupwate, who has followed the case ever since and aided the prosecution before the Justice S D Gundewar Commission set up to look into the firing, says the state has remained non-committal. “We are sure this is just a tactic adopted by the state to let the deadline pass and then cut a sorry figure claiming a technical glitch. It doesn’t take so long for any state machinery to challenge the order. Surprisingly, the activists have also been sluggish in their approach.”

Activist Shakil Ahmed, whose criminal writ petition had led to a first information report being lodged against Kadam, alleges that the state has always tried to shield the police officer. “It was only the judiciary that had aided us. The state has just shielded him. We had to move the court to get a complaint registered against him despite the commission clearly indicting him and demanding his suspension.”

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