MAPUSA
Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane and eight others were on Thursday acquitted by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Mapusa, in the 2013 Dhargal-Pernem toll plaza vandalism and assault case after the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Rane appeared before the Mapusa court when the judgment was delivered.
The case stemmed from an incident in December 2013 at the Dhargal check-post toll plaza in Pernem. Rane and his supporters were accused of vandalising the toll plaza and assaulting its staff after a dispute over the Goa government’s Rs 250 entry fee for vehicles entering the State from Maharashtra.
The accused faced charges including rioting, unlawful assembly and assault.
During the trial, the court had earlier issued a bailable warrant against Rane after he failed to appear for a scheduled hearing. He later appeared before the court, recorded his statement, and final arguments were heard before the case was reserved for judgment.
Rane’s counsel argued that the prosecution had failed to produce evidence linking him or the other accused to the alleged offences. “The prosecution alleged that an assault had taken place and claimed that Nitesh Rane and his supporters were involved. However, the evidence presented during the trial failed to establish their involvement. The court concluded that the prosecution had not proved its case, and therefore all the accused were acquitted,” the defence counsel said.
Reacting to the verdict, Rane welcomed the judgment and said the defence had succeeded in placing the true facts before the court.
“Our lawyers presented the true facts before the court, and we have been acquitted,” Rane said.
