Thane, India – After a nine-year legal battle, a Thane sessions court has convicted a 52-year-old man for assaulting a traffic police constable in a 2016 road rage incident. However, considering the accused’s “fragile health and family responsibilities,” the court handed down a lenient sentence of one day’s simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.
Additional Sessions Court Judge G.T. Pawar, whose July 31 order became available on Wednesday, acknowledged the accused’s good conduct during the trial, his health issues, and the relatively minor nature of the injury inflicted on the police officer as reasons for showing leniency.
The convicted individual, Ramesh Shitkar, was found guilty under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code. Charges of intentional insult (Section 504) were not proven.
The incident dates back to November 18, 2016, at the Cadbury signal in Thane. Traffic police constable Dilip Pawar attempted to flag down Shitkar’s speeding car. In response, Shitkar stopped his vehicle in the middle of the road, verbally abused Pawar, and repeatedly slapped him. An FIR was subsequently registered at the Rabodi police station.
During the trial, the court examined seven prosecution witnesses. Judge Pawar affirmed that the prosecution successfully proved that the assault occurred while the constable was performing his official duties.
The court dismissed the defence’s argument that Shitkar was framed after an altercation with a rickshaw driver who allegedly tried to intervene. Judge Pawar noted, “The defence failed to bring any material on record to disbelieve the version of the prosecution witnesses. From the spot panchanama, no evidence of the alleged dash to the car is revealed.”
Despite the conviction, the court’s decision to impose a token one-day imprisonment underscores a balance between justice and compassionate consideration of the accused’s personal circumstances.
