A popular issue related to Maharashtra politics is once again in the headlines. The court has convicted Devendra Fadnavis government minister Nitish Rane in the case of throwing mud on an NHAI engineer in 2019 and has sentenced him to 1 month imprisonment. It is being told that after a long hearing, the court has now convicted Rane. The court accepted that this act was a case of taking the law into one's hands and misbehaving with a government official.
This incident took place in July 2019, when Nitish Rane, who was an MLA at that time, had come to Kankavali area to take stock of the poor condition of the Mumbai-Goa Highway. There was a lot of resentment among the local people regarding the potholes and mud on the road. Meanwhile, Rane and his supporters called an engineer from the National Highway Authority of India to the spot. It is alleged that he misbehaved with the engineer and threw mud on him. After the video of this entire incident surfaced, the matter came into discussion at the national level.
Taking strict action in this matter, the police had registered a case against Nitish Rane and many of his supporters under IPC sections 353 (use of criminal force to prevent a government servant from performing duty), 504 (disturbing peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The police had also arrested him at that time. After this he came out of the court on bail. However, this case continued in the court. After the decision, Rane's lawyers will challenge it in the higher court.
Regarding this incident, Nitish Rane had earlier said that he had taken this step to show the problems of the public. At the same time, there is a possibility of further legal action from their side regarding this decision, such as appeal in the High Court. However, he has been acquitted of the main charges of assault along with 40 other accused involved in the case.
