2018 case for abusing IAS officer: MLA Bachchu Kadu granted interim bail

The magistrate court refused to cancel non-bailable warrant issued against him in connection with a case registered in 2018 for assaulting an IAS officer

Mumbai: The special court for cases against MP and MLA on Wednesday granted interim bail to Bachchu Kadu, an independent MLA from Achalpur, after the magistrate court refused to cancel non-bailable warrant issued against him in connection with a case registered in 2018 for assaulting an IAS officer.

Kadu along with members of his party were booked for allegedly assaulting and abusing government officials at the state secretariat in September 2018. (Praful Gangurde)

Kadu along with members of his party were booked for allegedly assaulting and abusing government officials at the state secretariat in September 2018.

On September 26, 2018, the group had gone to the office of the Deputy Secretary Pradeep Chandren to enquire about the examination conducted by Maharashtra knowledge corporation. At the time, the officer in his complaint had alleged that Kadu began to abuse him and later lifted his laptop to assault him.

A case against the MLA was registered at Marine Drive police station under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code

It was claimed that the police had obtained a non bailable warrant against Kadu for not responding to summons. Kadu through his lawyer Manoj Tekade approached the magistrate court for cancellation of the warrant. The magistrate refused to cancel the warrant and remanded Kadu to judicial custody.

The magistrate court even refused to grant him bail observing that the offence was exclusively triable by sessions court and it will not be proper on his part to release the accused on bail.

Kadu’s lawyers then approached the sessions court for his bail. They first approached the special court for MPs and MLAs but it refused to take up the matter. Later they approached another court that also refused to take up their plea, as the case had not been assigned to any court . It was only after refusal by two courts they approached the Principal Sessions Judge who directed the department to assign the plea to the special court for trying MPs and MLAs.

The lawyers pleaded for interim bail on the ground that Kadu was not arrested and the investigation in the case is already over. The court then called for a reply from the prosecution and in the meantime granted interim bail to the MLA.