E-Paper
109 remanded in judicial custody after protest near Pawar’s house
On Friday, the Gamdevi police arrested 110 protesters, including 23 women and advocate Sadavarte, for rioting outside Pawar’s residence. All were sent to judicial custody.
The Esplanade metropolitan magistrate court on Saturday remanded 109 employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), arrested for rioting outside Sharad Pawar’s residence, to judicial custody.
The court also remanded the lawyer of the arrested MSRTC employees, advocate Gunratan Sadavarte, to two-day police custody.
Immediately after they were remanded to judicial custody, the 109 MSRTC employees applied for bail, which was rejected by the magistrate court. They will now move the sessions court, people aware of the developments said.
On Friday, the Gamdevi police arrested 110 protesters, including 23 women and advocate Sadavarte, for rioting outside Pawar’s residence. 104 persons were arrested from the Malabar Hill area immediately after the incident, whereas six others were arrested later in the night, police said.
The protestors had gathered outside Silver Oak and raised slogans against Pawar, claiming that the NCP chief did nothing to fulfil their demands and even pelted stones at the house before police personnel intervened.
On Saturday, all the arrested persons were produced before the Esplanade metropolitan magistrate court, where special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat sought police custody for all.
Insisting on Sadavarte’s custody remand, Gharat said that he is the main instigator and the police want to find out the mastermind behind the conspiracy. He added that the police also want to find out if the lawyer was involved in the conspiracy and if any anti-social elements were involved in the entire episode.
Police said that Sadavarte instigated the striking MSRTC staffers to break into Pawar’s house by making a provocative statement. According to the FIR, while speaking to the media on Thursday, Sadavarte had said that the MSTRC workers “will break into the residence of Sharad Pawar and will ask him questions.” Police suspect that this statement had provoked the striking staffers.
Sadavarte’s lawyer, advocate Mahesh Vaswani, however, denied the allegations and maintained that Sadavarte was falsely implicated since he has been fighting cases against the state government. “He has raised his voice against the government, and hence action is being taken against him,” said advocate Vaswani.
Police officials said that investigators suspect that the attack on Pawar’s bungalow could be pre-planned as few individuals were spotted suspiciously moving in the area to recce Pawar’s residence two days before the attack. Their movement was captured on the CCTV camera. These individuals are yet to be identified.
