The Metropolitan Magistrate court on Saturday sent advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte to two days of police custody while the rest 109 protestors arrested for Friday's protest outside NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence have been sent to 14 days of judicial custody.
Sadavarte who is a council for the protesting MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) employees was arrested for allegedly instigating the protestors.
Over 100 MSRTC employees tried to barge into Silver Oak, Pawar's Mumbai residence on Friday afternoon. During the protest, stones and chappals were hurled and slogans were chanted against the veteran leader, accusing him of ignoring their demands of making them government employees by making MSRTC a full government unit.
Special Public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat appointed for the case stated that Sadavate had provoked the MSRTC employees through his speech at Azad Maidan on Thursday following the High Court ruling and asked them to take morcha at the politician's residence and demanded maximum 14 days of police custody. The police have also produced transcripts of his speech and claimed that they were even planning to take protest at Pawar's Baramati residence.
Gharat also said that huge fund is required for such protests and some powers or person could be involved and stated that police want to investigate that as well.
While demanding custody of all the 110 people, police said that the arrested accused were not even giving their true names and they suspect that some of them were not MSRTC employees. The police also said that some of them appeared to be drunk and their blood samples been taken to ascertain it.
Sadavadte was represented by Mahesh Vaswani stated, both Sadavarte and his wife are reputed persons and are fighting against injustice. Sadavarte is biggest villain for the state government as he had opposed the government in various matters including that of Maratha reservation while his wife is a complainant in the case against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh.
He also added that there were no threats issued to Pawar and all the charges against Sadavarte are fabricated and said that when the incident took place his client was in a court hearing. Vaswani pleaded before the court that there was no need of police custody and moved a bail application.
Sandeep Gaikwad who represented for rest of the accused said that the accused are not criminals but MSRTC employees and requested the court to take review of the incident, not everything have come before the court, he added.
The protestors have been charged for criminal conspiracy, rioting, trespassing and on the charges of assaulting a public servant. Two police personnel reportedly sustained injuries during the protest. Later the police added charges of voluntarily causing grievous hurt on provocation, committing mischief and sections for abetment.
The court sent Sadavarte to two days of police custody and said that opportunity should be given to the investigation agency. About the 109 MSRTC employees court said, at this point the custody of 109 MSRTC employee does not appear to be necessary particularly in the circumstances that the Sadavarte had allegedly instigated the protest and sent the employees to 14 days of magistrate custody. However police can take their custody if something comes during the investigation, added the magistrate.
