Former Sena mayor Vishakha Raut acquitted in 2011 police assault case

Mumbai, Dec 5 (PTI) A special court here has acquitted former Mumbai mayor and Shiv Sena leader Vishakha Raut and activist Madhuri Manjrekar in a 14-year-old case of assault on a police constable.

The duo was cleared of all the charges by special judge for MPs/MLAs case Satyanarayan Navande on December 2.

The incident took place on June 3, 2011 when the women's wing of the then undivided Shiv Sena organized a protest march near Shiv Sena Bhavan and Shivaji Natya Mandir in Dadar.

The prosecution alleged that during the agitation, activists attempted to burn an effigy and displayed photographs of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar while chanting slogans. As per the First Information Report (FIR), when police attempted to seize the photographs, a scuffle ensued.

The complainant, head constable Sunita Jadhav, alleged that Raut pulled her by the collar and, along with other activists, assaulted police personnel.

The court, in the order made available on Friday, highlighted the one-day delay in filing the FIR, the inconsistency regarding the arrest dates, and other inherent discrepancies in the prosecution evidence that rendered the entire case doubtful.

Although the defence has not disputed that the complainant was on duty, the crucial ingredient- actual assault or use of criminal force by the accused is not proved through reliable, cogent, or corroborated evidence, the court held.

"In the absence of proof of the essential ingredients, the charge cannot stand and must consequently fail," it said while acquitting the accused. PTI AVI BNM