Kalyan court acquits Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde in 17-year-old defamation case

A Kalyan court on Wednesday acquitted Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and two others in a defamation case that dates back 17 years, holding that the evidence on record did not support the charges.

District and Sessions Judge Santosh Aage delivered the verdict in the case filed by Vasant Davkhare, who was the Nationalist Congress Party candidate from the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat in 2009. The other two acquitted are Anand Paranjape and Rajendra Devlekar.

The court found that the records, testimony and statements placed before it did not back the allegations. It also pointed to gaps in the investigation and in the sequence of events, as reflected in the proceedings and submissions by advocates.

The case traces back to the 2009 campaign, when Mr. Paranjape contested the Kalyan seat for the Shiv Sena against Mr. Davkhare. Mr. Paranjape won. During the campaign, a meeting was held at which Mr. Thackeray, Mr. Shinde and Mr. Paranjape showed recordings of sound and images concerning Mr. Davkhare to those present through television, according to the complaint.

Rajendra Devlekar, a former Shiv Sena corporator from Kalyan, organised the meeting. He died during the pendency of the case. After the election, Mr. Davkhare filed a suit against Mr. Thackeray, Mr. Shinde, Mr. Paranjape and Mr. Devlekar, alleging that the meeting had defamed him.

The matter remained before the Kalyan court for 17 years and came up for judgment on Wednesday. Mr. Paranjape was present in court. Advocate Jayesh Wani, spokesperson of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), argued for Mr. Thackeray.

Twenty witnesses were examined over the course of the trial, including party workers, office bearers, police officers posted at the venue, organisers and investigating officers. The process under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code was completed against the leaders. A month before the verdict, Mr. Shinde and Mr. Thackeray recorded their statements before the court through video conferencing; Mr. Thackeray denied the allegations.

During the hearing, the defence questioned the recording, the printout, the laboratory report and the investigation. It argued that the accused had no connection with the CD at the centre of the case and that the evidence was not available. The court examined these aspects and acquitted the accused, finding that evidence was lacking and that the sequence of events had gaps and additions, according to the defence.

Advocate Wani said the defamation case was filed out of political vendetta and with an eye on electoral gain. He said the witnesses did not speak to the facts, and that records showed testimony had been taken before the incident. The sequence of events did not match the records and had no basis, he said, adding that the court had therefore acquitted Mr. Thackeray and that truth had won.

Mr. Paranjape said Mr. Davkhare had filed the defamation case on charges linked to politics. He said they had always respected Mr. Davkhare and would continue to do so, and that the criminal case was filed after Mr. Davkhare's defeat. There were no facts in the case, he said, and they had now got justice.