Breaking: Bombay High Court Refuses Anticipatory Bail To BJP MLA Nitesh Rane In Attempt To Murder Case

Justice CV Bhadang had reserved orders on Rane's plea on Friday. Along with Rane, the court also refused pre-arrest bail to his co-accused Sandesh aka Gotya Swant.

Accused Manish Dalvi was granted anticipatory bail.

The Kankavli Police booked Rane and others in December 2021, under sections 307, 120(B) read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code. Rane approached the High Court after a sessions court in Sindhudurg rejected his anticipatory bail application.

However, Rane may not be arrested immediately as the police has decided to continue their earlier statement not to take action against him till January 27.

The case against Rane is based on a complaint filed by Santosh Parab (44). He alleged that while he was going on a bike from Naravde Naka in Kankavli, an Innova car without a number plate hit his motorcycle and dragged it over 50 feet. The assailant then allegedly threatened to get back at him for working with one Satish Sawant.

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Parab said the man attempted to kill him and stabbed him in the chest. Moreover, he told the cops, he heard his attacker allegedly say that he(attacker) must inform Gotya Sawant and Nitesh Rane.

Nitesh Rane, represented by Advocate Niteen Pradhan, submitted that the FIR was registered to prevent him from participating in the Sindhudurg District Co-operative Bank elections, which were to be held on December 30, 2021. He cited the cat-calling incident outside Vidhan Bhavan from December 23, when Shiv Sena leaders had allegedly said that Rane would be taught a lesson.

Special Public Prosecutor Sudeep Pasbola for the police vehemently opposed bail to Rane, calling him the "mastermind," who is now trying to influence witnesses. He submitted that Rane's custody was required to establish the money trail by which assailants were hired for the assault.

Pasbola emphasized that Rane did not contact his close confidant Sachin Satpute from his own number but used his assistant Rakesh Parab's phone. He claimed that this was not the first time and that Rane was involved in at least six other cases involving hired goons. "The same modus operandi was used in other cases too," he said.

The prosecutor argued that the case was not a result of the alleged cat-calling incident as the conspiracy was unearthed only after Sachin Satpute's arrest.

The alleged murder attempt happened on December 18 last year, Nitesh was issued notice on December 21, and his statement recorded on December 24.

Pradhan arguing for Rane submitted that allegations of a murder attempt for bank elections were a figment of imagination. Moreover, when the conspiracy was alleged to have hatched in August in a vanity van, the bank election dates were not even announced.

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