Maharashtra Court Convicts Nitesh Rane for Insulting Highway Engineer, Acquits 28 Others

April 28, 2026 : In a split verdict, the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge at Oros in Sindhudurg district has convicted BJP MLA Nitesh Narayan Rane under Section 504 of the Indian Penal Code for intentionally insulting a public servant, while acquitting him and 28 co-accused of all other serious charges due to lack of credible evidence.

Additional Sessions Judge V.S. Deshmukh delivered the judgment on April 27, 2026, in Sessions Case No. 13 of 2021 arising from a 2019 FIR registered at Kankavali Police Station. The court sentenced Rane to one month’s simple imprisonment along with a fine of ₹1,00,000. In default of payment, he will undergo an additional seven days’ imprisonment. Out of the fine, ₹50,000 has been awarded to the complainant as compensation under Section 357(1) CrPC.

The case stemmed from an incident on July 4, 2019, at a bridge over the Gad River along National Highway 66 in Sindhudurg. The complainant, Prakash Dadoji Shedekar, a Sub-Divisional Engineer with the National Highways Sub-Division at Sawantwadi, had reached the site following instructions for inspection of ongoing road-widening work. According to the prosecution, Rane, accompanied by supporters, publicly humiliated the engineer by forcing him to walk through muddy water and allegedly subjecting him to assault and threats.

However, the court found significant inconsistencies between the FIR and witness testimonies. It noted that key prosecution witnesses gave conflicting accounts regarding the presence and role of several accused. The prosecution failed to establish that the group constituted an unlawful assembly under Section 141 IPC. As a result, charges including rioting, assault on a public servant, wrongful confinement, causing hurt, criminal intimidation, and conspiracy were held not proved.

The court also found the allegations of physical assault unreliable, pointing out contradictions in identifying the persons involved and the complainant’s own admission of being semi-conscious during the incident. Similarly, no evidence was found to support charges of criminal conspiracy or intimidation.

Despite these acquittals, the court held that the act of compelling a public servant to walk through muddy water in public was clearly established against Rane. It observed that both the FIR and the complainant’s testimony consistently attributed this act to him, and the version remained intact during cross-examination. The court ruled that such conduct amounted to intentional insult likely to provoke a breach of peace, satisfying the ingredients of Section 504 IPC.

While considering sentencing, the court declined to impose only a fine. It emphasized that as an elected representative, Rane was expected to uphold the rule of law. Even if his intent was to protest alleged poor-quality infrastructure work, humiliating a public servant was unjustifiable and detrimental to administrative functioning.

The court granted Rane set-off for five days already spent in custody between July 5 and July 9, 2019.

Case Details:
Case Title: State of Maharashtra through Kankavali Police Station v. Nitesh Narayan Rane & Others
Court: Additional Sessions Judge, Sindhudurg at Oros
Judge: V.S. Deshmukh
Date of Judgment: April 27, 2026
FIR Date: July 4, 2019