In Thane, Maharashtra, a government official acquitted in a bribery case due to a procedural error. The court found that the executive engineer lacked the authority to approve the prosecution, leading to the dismissal of charges against Janardan Sakharam Devkate, a peon at MSEB.
Thane: The Maharashtra Special Court acquitted a peon in a bribery case. The court cited a procedural mistake in authorizing the prosecution. On Friday, a copy of the order dated March 20 became accessible.
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Janardan Sakharam Devkate, who worked as a peon-cum-bill-distributor with the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB), accused of demanding and accepting money in 2013 over the installation of new electricity meters in Thane’s Wagle Estate area.
Advocate Arvind A Aghav, representing Devkate, argued that the executive engineer who approved his client’s prosecution lacked the authority to do so. The court agreed with this argument and dismissed the charges against Devkate.
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Special Judge (ACB) Amit M Shete, who also serves as an Additional Sessions Judge in Thane, stated that only the chief engineer has the authority to approve the prosecution of Class IV employees like Devkate. This is because MSEB has the authority to hire or terminate these employees within the MSEB.
The court ordered that the seized items from the investigation be kept for future legal proceedings. This allows the prosecution to reopen the case once they get the necessary approval.
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