Bombay High Court Reverses Pune Police's Arms Licence Revocation

The Bombay High Court quashed Pune police's order canceling Manorama Khedkar's arms licence, citing improper service of notice. Khedkar, involved in a viral gun-brandishing video, was unable to attend an earlier hearing as she was in jail. The court remanded the case for fresh consideration.

The Bombay High Court has overruled a decision by the Pune police commissioner to cancel the arms licence of Manorama Khedkar, the mother of former IAS officer Puja Khedkar. The judgement was delivered by Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan on November 27, citing improper notice service to Manorama Khedkar.

Manorama Khedkar challenged the cancellation, arguing she was not given a fair opportunity to respond. The bench found no evidence that she was duly notified before the arms licence cancellation, rendering the Pune police's order unsustainable.

The case emerged after a viral video showed Khedkar waving a gun during a heated land dispute, leading to her arrest. Following her arrest, a notice for cancelling her arms licence was issued, which she could not respond to while in custody. The court has instructed a fresh review by the Pune commissioner.

(With inputs from agencies.)