Thane court acquits two businessmen of assaulting traffic cop, rash driving

A court in Maharashtras Thane city has acquitted two businessmen seven years after they were accused of rash driving and assaulting a traffic policeman reported news agency PTIIn his order of October 7 Principal District and Sessions Court Judge S B Agrawal said the prosecution had failed to prove the charge against the accused identified as Ravi Khimji Sampat 56 and Jagdish Keshavlal Bimane 43 reported PTIAccording to court papers traffic policeman Nandkumar Dadasaheb Bhosale stopped the duo on the morning of February 23 2018 accusing them of rash driving The two threatened Bhosale held his collar pushed him and hit him in the chest alleged the prosecutionThe court examined five prosecution witnesses including Bhosale and his associate but found the evidence insufficient to establish the guilt of the accusedJudge Agrawal said that other than the vague assertion that he was pushed by the accused persons the other aspects have not been narrated by the informant Bhosale reported PTIBhosales associate Anil Jadhav merely told the court that there was a minor incident and he took the informant to the hospital Jadhav also submitted that he was not with Bhosale at the time of the incident observed the courtConsidering the evidence it cannot be said that the prosecution has been successful in bringing home the guilt said the judge reported PTIThane court acquits man accused of assaulting traffic cop 13 years agoIn another case a court in Thane has acquitted a man accused of assaulting a traffic constable during an altercation in 2012 observing the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt due to contradictory and unreliable witness testimony reported PTIA copy of the order dated October 3 was made available on MondayAdditional Sessions Judge G T Pawar acquitted Raghunath Nana Buge of all charges under sections 353 assault on a public servant 504 intentional insult and 506 criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code reported PTIChandrakant Dayanand Bidaye who was then a traffic head constable had alleged that on March 6 2012 Buge objected to a jammer being applied to his dumper on Ghodbunder Road in Maharashtras Thane city and threatened to cut down the constables hand and leg reported PTIThe accused abused assaulted and threatened him while he was performing his duty the cop allegedAfter a trial that extended over 13 years since the FIR judge Pawar noted serious inconsistencies in the prosecutions versionThe prosecution witness has deposed that the accused came to the spot in a car and had quarreled with him Whereas another prosecution witness in crossexamination has admitted that no quarrel took place with either the driver or the owner of the car Thus the evidence of the two prosecution witnesses as regards quarrel by the accused is contradictory the judge observedThe court further pointed out that the testimony of another eyewitness the crane driver was inconsistent with the account of the incidentThe prosecution witness has deposed that at the time of the incident he was driving the crane and they were towing a car when one person got down from the car and started abusing the informant and he did not know what happened thereafterHis evidence is contradictory to the evidence of the other prosecution witnesses who stated that a dumper was being towed at the time of the incident the judge noted reported PTIThe court also remarked that the investigation officer had not recorded the statement of any independent witness though they were available Hence there is doubt about the prosecutions case and the accused is entitled to the benefit of doubt it saidConcluding that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused used criminal force against the informant or intentionally insulted him or criminally intimidated him the court acquitted Buge of all charges reported PTIWith inputs from PTI