Mumbai: The Special MP and MLA Court on Tuesday convicted former MLA Omprakash Kadu, alias Bacchu Kadu, for using criminal force against an IAS officer at Mantralaya in September 2018. He has been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment and fined Rs10,000.
Kadu has been held guilty for use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty and also for criminal intimidation. The order, however, has been stayed for him to approach the high court. He was also granted bail.
Court Slams Kadu for Avoiding Legitimate Ways to Air Grievances
The special judge Satyanarayan R Navander, while holding Kadu guilty of the two charges observed, “There are legal ways to address the grievances. Many avenues were open for him. He could have addressed his grievance even directly through the Chief Minister. Instead of choosing the appropriate and legitimate way, he went to the office of the informant and in unsuited fashion, made an assault thereby maligning the image not only of the officer, but the government itself.”
“No doubt, there can be grievances about governance or management of a particular department or even regarding conducting the examinations during recruitment processes of the government, that does not mean that any representative of the people would go to such an officer and attack him violently,” the special judge further said.
As per the prosecution case, on September 26, 2018, at around 5:30 pm, when Pradeep was in a meeting with deputy secretary Pradip Chandran, Kadu, along with 7 to 8 other persons, barged into his office.
Kadu Accused of Threatening IAS Officer Over Mahapariksha Exam
Kadu allegedly began questioning him about the Mahapariksha, a competitive exam which was conducted by the Maharashtra IT Corporation. When Pradeep tried to explain to him, Kadu got aggressive. They not only abused Pradeep, but Kadu gestured to hit him with an iPad. Pradeep lodged a case against him with Marine Drive police station the next day.
The court while convicting Kadu observed, “IAS officers hold a crucial position in the country's governance, playing a key role in policy implementation, public administration, and development initiatives."
