A SESSIONS court Tuesday sentenced Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale’s wife Kamini and 17 others to year-long imprisonment on charges, including unlawful assembly and mischief causing damage to the tune of Rs 50, in an incident reported before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The court, however, acquitted the accused of other charges that include attempt to murder. The sentence has been suspended to allow the accused to file an appeal before the High Court, officials said. According to the police, the case was registered by the Trombay police against 18 people, including some Sena members, on charges of attacking a policeman on duty before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The prosecution had claimed that a police constable, on duty, was injured during a clash between members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena, which was triggered after both the parties had accused each other of distributing cash among voters in Trombay. The prosecution had examined 14 witnesses, including medical officers, three police officials and the injured constable. While the witnesses confirmed the presence of the accused at the spot of the incident, they did not identify the person who had attacked the constable. The constable, too, did not identify his alleged attackers. Defence advocate S K Ali had submitted before the court that without specific identification the attempt to murder charge could not be proved. Besides Kamini, four other women are accused in the case.
