On Thursday, the Nagpur bench of the High Court of Bombay suspended the 3-month sentence awarded to Maharashtra cabinet Minister Yashomati Thakur for allegedly assaulting a policeman in Amravati district in 2012.
On Oct 15, a Sessions Court in Amravati convicted Ms Thakur, who is the State's Women & Child Development Minister, & 3 others including her driver, in the case & sentenced them to 3 months imprisonment.
Yashomati Thakur, a Congress leader, earlier this week filed a plea in the HC against the conviction & sought suspension of the sentence by way of interim relief, pending final hearing of her plea.
The appeal also sought for the conviction to be stayed.
The Minister's Lawyers Subodh Dharmadhikari & Aniket Nikam argued, "Bare perusal of the evidence of the witnesses clearly shows that the sessions court committed an error by convicting the appellant (Thakur). There is no case made out for conviction".
On Thursday, Justice Vinay Joshi admitted the appeal & suspended the sentence. He posted the appeal for further hearing on Oct 27.
Justice Joshi said that "The appellant has been awarded a sentence of three months. Having regard to the quantum of the sentence, its execution needs to be suspended".
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 24, 2012, in the Chunabhatti area under Rajapeth police station limits in Amravati when Thakur, then an MLA, was moving in her vehicle along with her aides.
According to the charge sheet, Yashomati Thakur, her driver Sagar Suresh Khandekar, & party workers Sharad Kashirav Jawanjal & Raju Kisan Ingle, allegedly beat up traffic policeman Ulhas Raurale when he stopped her vehicle from entering a one-way lane.
Yashomati Thakur is currently the guardian minister of Amravati district.
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