Thane: Court acquits trio accused of damaging public property during 2008 MNS protest

Thane: The Thane district court has acquitted three men who were allegedly part of a group of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers that damaged public property during a protest in the city in 2008. The court acquitted all three on benefit of doubt.

Dr Rachna R Tehra, sessions judge said that, "The prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt."

Raj Thackeray's arrest on October 21, 2008

A copy of the order passed on Tuesday was made available on Thursday.
The prosecution told the court that the three belonged to a mob that went on a rampage following the "arrest" of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on October 21, 2008. The group damaged buses and set afire a few of them in Thane city.

A few prosecution witnesses said that their bus was obstructed by a group of protesters who were shouting "Manse (MNS) zindabad and Raj saheb zindabad", while some people pelted stones at the vehicle. Advocate A N Rajurkar, who represented the three men, said the trio had no role in the incident.

After hearing both sides, Judge Tehra said, "All in all, from the material on record it is crystal clear that the informant and prosecution witness both are eye witness of the incident. But both of them stated nothing against accused persons. The prosecution has failed to establish that the accused have formed the unlawful assembly and committed alleged offence."