Court grants partial relief to former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad in assault case

THANE: The Thane Sessions Court granted partial relief to former Maharashtra minister and NCP-SP MLA Jitendra Awhad in a case related to the alleged abduction and assault of a civil engineer who posted a morphed image of him on social media.

The court ruled that the case be remitted to the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) for trial on certain charges, including kidnapping (Section 365) and unlawful assembly (Sections 143, 144, 147, 148, and 149) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The incident occurred in April 2020 when the victim, Anant Karmuse, was allegedly abducted by Awhad’s bodyguards and brought to his bungalow, where he was assaulted for posting a morphed image of the minister.

Although the court rejected the plea to discharge Awhad from all charges, it found insufficient grounds to proceed with the more serious charges under Sections 364-A and 367 of the IPC, which relate to kidnapping for ransom and causing grievous hurt, respectively.

The case will now proceed before the JMFC for further trial on the remaining charges, with both parties scheduled to appear on November 25, 2024.