2019 mud attack on engineer: Nitesh Rane convicted, jailed for one-month; allowed to approach higher courts

Mumbai: In yet another embarrassment to Devendra Fadnavis-headed BJP-led Maha Yuti government, Maharashtra’s Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane has been sentenced to a jail term of one month and Rs 1 lakh fine for pouring mud on an engineer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in 2019.

Nitesh is the son of BJP MP Narayan Rane, former chief minister and former leader of opposition in the Legislative Council.

The local court in the Sindhudurg district found the Kankavli BJP MLA guilty of assaulting a public servant and preventing them from performing their official duties.

Although 29 other accused in the case were acquitted, the court convicted Rane.

However, the court suspended the sentence by one month to enable him to approach higher courts.

“Even though Nitesh Rane's intention was to raise a voice against the poor quality of work and inconvenience faced by the people, he was not supposed to humiliate or insult a public servant in public," Additional Sessions Judge V S Deshmukh said.

In a post on X, Nitesh Rane, said “Satyamev Jayate” and posted a video of the statement of the defence lawyer.

It may be recalled, Rane, on July 4, 2019, had summoned engineer Prakash Shedekar to inspect the four-lane work on the Mumbai-Goa Highway.

Upon reaching the Gadnadi bridge in Kankavli, Shedekar was questioned by Rane, Swabhiman Party mayor Sameer Nalawade and activists about mud and potholes on the highway.

Subsequently, he was tied up on the bridge, and buckets of mud were poured on him. He was told that he should experience the problems faced by common people on the road.

Based on a complaint filed with the police by him regarding this matter, a case was registered against 30 individuals, including Rane, under various sections of the law.