The Pune District and Additional Sessions Court on Friday sentenced a man to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) for attempting to murder a developer by attacking him with an axe during a dispute over collection of donations for a Ganpati festival.
District Judge and Additional Sessions Judge RK Kshirsagar convicted Jeevan Suresh Pawar under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions of the Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act. The court imposed a fine of ₹50,000 under section 307.
The incident took place on September 1, 2022, at the Moraya Developers office in Uttamnagar-Shivane. According to the prosecution, complainant Chandrakant More was in his office at around 10.10am when Pawar, who was 21 then, arrived with his juvenile brother. The duo allegedly entered the office with weapons, broke the glass and knocked More down and assaulted him with kicks and blows. Pawar then attacked him with an axe on his head and hand. Pawar also told his brother that he should not be left alive.
The judgment records that More had an altercation with Pawar, his brother and father a day before the attack over collection of donations for the Ganpati festival. The court held that the dispute constituted the motive for the assault.
{{/usCountry}}The judgment records that More had an altercation with Pawar, his brother and father a day before the attack over collection of donations for the Ganpati festival. The court held that the dispute constituted the motive for the assault.
{{/usCountry}}More suffered serious injuries to his head and face. The judgment records that his eye was severely injured, and 82 stitches were required on his head.
The prosecution also relied on eyewitness Dinesh Karale, who had a stall near More’s office. Karale told the court that he heard a loud sound from inside the office and went in. He saw one person holding More while another man, wearing a blue shirt, was hitting him on the head with a weapon resembling an axe. He identified Pawar in court and said he helped take More to hospital.
Medical evidence also corroborated the assault. Dr Nikhil Shrikant Agarkhedkar, a consultant plastic surgeon at Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital, testified that More had sustained multiple injuries to his face, scalp and nose, including fractures. The injuries were classified as grievous and, according to the doctor, could have been caused by a sharp weapon such as an axe or scythe.
The court also considered CCTV footage from Uttamnagar police station. According to the judgment, the footage showed Pawar entering the police station shortly after the incident while carrying an axe.
Pawar was also convicted for abusing and intimidating More. The court held that the prosecution had established that he threatened the complainant and told his juvenile brother to kill him. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment each under sections 504 and 506 of the IPC, one year under the Maharashtra Police Act and three years under the Arms Act. All the sentences will run concurrently.