NEW DELHI: Maharashtra BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, son of union minister Narayan Rane, on Thursday got conditional protection from the Supreme Court from arrest for 10 days but with a rider that he surrenders before the trial court and seeks a regular bail in the attempt to murder case lodged in Sindhudurg district last month.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli asked him to surrender before the concerned court, holding that he shall not be arrested for 10 days in the interim.
Nitesh Rane had challenged the January 17 Bombay High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail. A local court had also rejected his anticipatory bail on December 31. He has been charged with Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
His senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the case germinating from a "political rivalry" is a completely cooked-up case on the eve of an election to the district cooperative bank and allegations are completely bogus.
"The allegation is that the complainant was stabbed by a paper cutter. A paper cutter. The conspiracy is to kill this man with a paper cutter at 11 am in public. And charges against the petitioner is attempt to murder," he argued.
On behalf of the Maharashtra government, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said call detail records of Nitesh have been seized, showing his regular inter-communications ahead of the crime and the victim has already identified the acused in an identification parade.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who also appearing for Nitesh Rane, said the victim was seen roaming around freely a day after the injury and there are no direct phone calls connecting Rane and the attacker.
A case was registered against Nitesh Rane, MLA from Kankavli, after a Kankavli resident named Santosh Parab, 44, had filed a police complaint claiming he was assaulted by certain persons linked with him on December 18 during the campaigning for the Sindhudurg district cooperative bank elections.
