Deepak Mankar,18 others acquitted

The court observed that complainant Natu had visited Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray with Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe,claiming he wanted to extend birthday wishes to him. However,during cross-examination,Natu failed to recollect Thackeray’s birth date. “The meeting was not to extend birthday wishes,but it had nexus with alleged offences. This shows that the complainant had contacted political heavy weights as well as the news channels prior to lodging the FIR on June 24,2009,” the judgment stated.

Speaking to media persons,Mankar said Gorhe’s conspiracy to not to allow him to become an MLA in the last Assembly elections has been foiled. “Natu was not known to me,neither did I have any knowledge about his property. I had complete faith in the judiciary and with this

acquittal,justice has been

done,” Mankar said.

Senior advocate Sureshchandra Bhosale stated Mankar was falsely implicated and the truth has now come before the society. He said they are planning to file a civil and criminal defamation suit against Gorhe,Sena MLA Chandrakant Mokate,Sena corporator Sham Deshpande and Yashwant and Dhananjay Natu.

Reacting to the acquittal,Gorhe said,“The fact that the court had admitted the case proves that there was no false implication in the case. It was mere coincidence that Mankar was an accused in this matter and there was no political vengeance behind this case. The Sena would have taken up the complaint with as much intensity even if there would have been any other accused person,” she said while talking to The Indian Express. Gorhe added she will comment about the defamation suit only after it is filed in the court.

As per the complaint of Yashwant Natu and his son Dhananjay Natu,Karnataki had purchased a part of the disputed property,co-owned by Natu and his relatives in Shukrawar Peth. However,Natu did not sell his share of the property to Karnataki. Natu alleged that Karnataki,Mankar and Sagre had then threatened him and forcibly taken his signatures on the documents,paying him Rs 1.25 crore against the sale of the property.