Court acquits MNS-Sena activists accused of rioting

Mumbai, April 01: A local court today acquitted 54 Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists, accused of rioting and pelting stones at each other in Central Mumbai in October, 2006.

The sessions court here acquitted 23 MNS activists, including party spokesperson Shirish Parker, and 31 Shiv Sena activists, including former MLA Sada Sarvankar and former city Mayor Milind Vaidya.

The accused were charged with stone pelting and rioting following a clash between the two groups over the issue of tearing a poster having the picture of Sena chief Bal Thackeray at SIES college in suburban Matunga, said advocate Rajendra Shirodkar, representing the MNS.

According to police, MNS activists had allegedly torn the poster and it had resulted in rioting and stone pelting.

Shirodkar said police had filed three cases in the incident, one against MNS on the complaint of Sena, against Sena on a complaint filed by MNS and a case against both of them.

“The court acquitted all the accused for lack of evidence,” said Sayaji Nagre, another advocate representing the MNS in the case.

Nagre said that for proving the charges of rioting, police needed to attribute the act to a particular person which in this case they could not do.

Sessions judge S G Shettye acquitted all the accused for lack of evidence and prosecution”s failure to prove the case.

Sena leader Anil Parab said the court acquitted all the accused as the police did not have enough evidence against them.

——–PTI