HC suspends conviction of Minister Yashomati Thakur
| Date :23-Oct-2020 |
Staff Reporter :
IN A major breather to Cabinet Minister Adv Yashomati Thakur, Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, on Thursday, suspended three months’ sentence awarded to her by Amravati Sessions Court in traffic constable assault case. According to Adv Thakur, the entire prosecution about manhandling the constable in 2012 was based on weak evidence and she was convicted without an iota of evidence against her. Justice Vinay Joshi, while issuing notice to State and Amravati Police, stayed the conviction ordered by Amravati Court on October 15.
“The appellant has been awarded a sentence of three months. Having regard to the quantum of the sentence, its execution needs to be suspended,” the High Court noted. The Sessions Court had convicted petitioner-Thakur and three others including her driver Sagar Suresh Khandekar, and party workers Sharad Kashirao Jawanjal and Raju Kisan Ingle for allegedly beating up traffic constable Ulhas Raurale when he stopped her vehicle from entering a one-way lane.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 24, 2012, in the Chunabhatti area under Rajapeth police station limits in Amravati when Thakur, then an MLA, was moving in her vehicle along with her aides.Thakur and her associates moved the High Court against the conviction and sought suspension of the sentence by way of interim relief, pending final hearing of her plea.
According to the appellants, none of the prosecution witnesses including fellow traffic constable on duty supported the assault charge and even the factual matrix reveals that they were falsely implicated in this case and there was no reason to convict the appellants. The High Court while admitting the appeal, suspended the sentence and posted the matter for further hearing on October 27. Senior Counsel Subodh Dharmadhikari, Adv Kuldeep Mahalle and Adv Aniket Nikam appeared for the appellants.