Mumbai: State to charge 2 MLAs accused of beating cop

The state government on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that it would be filing its charge sheet against MLAs Ram Kadam and Kshitij Thakur, in connection with the assault on assistant police inspector Sachin Suryavanshi, by June 30. Advocate general Darius Khambata informed the court about this.

The state government on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that it would be filing its charge sheet against MLAs Ram Kadam and Kshitij Thakur, in connection with the assault on assistant police inspector Sachin Suryavanshi, by June 30. Advocate general Darius Khambata informed the court about this.

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On March 19, five MLAs, including Thakur and Kadam, had allegedly assaulted Suryavanshi inside the Vidhan Bhawan premises.

A division bench of justice PV Hardas and justice Mridula Bhatkar was hearing the petition filed by former cop Julio Ribeirio. The petition sought action against the assailants as well as revocation of the suspension order passed against Suryavanshi following the alleged assault.

Suryavanshi came under attack from the MLAs because he had earlier stopped Thakur’s vehicle and allegedly fined him for over-speeding on the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea link. Khambata told the bench that the crime branch had received CCTV footage from inside the Vidhan Bhawan only on May 31.

The court was informed that the footage has to be sent to the forensic lab as it is not clear. Only once the footage is examined, the complicity of other assailants, if any, can be proved, and witnesses can be identified, the court was informed.

The advocate general also submitted that Suryavanshi’s suspension order is currently before a revision committee, which is likely to take a decision within two weeks. In view of the submissions and steps taken by the state, the petition has been withdrawn.