Mumbai: The sessions court convicted a 40-year-old man for not cooperating with the traffic police and misbehaving with them while they were managing traffic at Worli. The conviction came through plea bargaining after he offered to pay a fine of Rs10,000 to each of the two constables involved.
As per the prosecution, on July 17, 2016, Head Constable Dilip Jadhav and another officer were on duty taking action against no-parking and double-parking violations. At Worli Dairy, they found a car parked on the zebra crossing.
When they confronted the driver, Zahid Shaikh, he said he had stopped briefly to buy food for his children and would move soon. However, when the constables returned after some time, the vehicle was still there.
The complainant stated that when they again asked him to move and show his license, Shaikh refused, argued with the officers, and manhandled them. A case was subsequently lodged at Worli police station.
Nearly a decade later, Shaikh applied for plea bargaining, claiming the altercation happened in the heat of the moment and he had no intention of obstructing the officers. His defence said he regrets the incident and assured the court he would not repeat such behaviour. He voluntarily offered compensation, which the prosecution accepted.
Taking into account his willingness to make amends, the court showed leniency, stating that imprisonment was not warranted in this case. Shaikh was extended the benefit of probation and released.
