Former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad acquitted of kidnapping charges in assault case in 2020

A Sessions court on Friday dropped kidnapping charges against former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad but refused to acquit him of charges in a case of alleged assault on a Thane resident in 2020. The court dismissed him from the kidnapping sections and referred the case against him. return to the trial court.

Sessions court judge Justice GG Bhansali was hearing a plea filed by Awhad, seeking dropping of all charges against him filed by Anant Karmuse, a resident of Thane.

Further, in the application, the Maharashtra politician also pointed out that no offense is attracted under Section 364-A (Kidnapping for ransom) or 367 (Kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC ) and therefore the case will be referred to a magistrate. court for the rest of the crimes.

The prosecution case is that Karmuse had posted a morphed image of Awhad on a social media platform on April 5, 2020. The complainant alleged that some members of the police had picked him up at his home and they had taken him to the residence of Awhad, where between 15 and 20 years. people beat him with bamboo, iron pipes and belts.

Karmuse further alleged that the NCP leader was there while he was being beaten and threatened to delete the post. Karmuse claimed that Awhad called his wife and told her to delete the post, adding that he was beaten again and forced to record an apology video on his phone.

The complainant approached the Supreme Court through his lawyer Aditya Mishra to add the kidnapping section to the case. This section was added when the third charge sheet was filed in the matter.

Section 364 A of the IPC for kidnapping calls for life imprisonment, and it is this charge that makes this case triable in the Sessions court.

The IPC was applicable to all criminal cases registered before the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) came into force in July 2024.

While discharging Awhad from the kidnapping charges, the judge noted that there were four charge sheets filed in the case and this section was added to the third charge sheet which had no material to support the charge of the prosecutor’s office

A total of 15 people faced charges in the case, including Awhad.

Of the 15, one accused, a policeman, committed suicide last year, while another accused, Dilip Yadav, wrote an application seeking to be allowed to become an approver.

Yadav was working for Awhad’s party and instead of divulging all the details against Awhad, he sought pardon and his application will now be heard by the trial court.