Two shopkeepers who were accused of assaulting Navi Mumbai civic officials in 2016 are acquitted by Maharashtra’s Thane court. Bhagwan Pandurang Dhakne and Balchandra Sopan Nalawade ran shops in Haware Centurion Mall in Nerul and were booked under IPC sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (common intention).
As per reports, the district judge PM Gupta had stated that the reason to acquit the duo is that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the shopkeepers.
On July 5, 2016, when the incident took place. To pull down the illegal construction the civic officials went to the mall and it was then the duo stopped the officials from doing their duty. NMMC block officer Subhash Dadu Adagale filed a complaint saying that it was due to the shopkeepers that the officials could not raze the illegal construction.
However, the court said that the evidence presented by the prosecution witnesses makes it clear that no criminal force was used by the shopkeepers to dissuade them from doing their duty.
While addressing the issue the judge said, “I come to the conclusion that the prosecution failed to prove that on July 5, 2016, the accused persons assaulted or used criminal force against the informant when he was discharging his duty as a public servant or with intent to prevent or deter him from discharging his duty. There is no evidence on record to prove the guilt of the accused persons”.