New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Kankavli in Maharashtra, Nitesh Rane has been granted protection from arrest for 10 days by the Supreme Court today in connection with an attempt to murder case. The Court also directed him to surrender before the trial court and seek regular bail in the matter, reported ANI.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday had agreed to hear the petition filed by Rane challenging Bombay High Court’s order rejecting his bail plea in connection with the attempt to murder case lodged at the Sindhudurg district last month.
A four-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India, N V Ramana, Justices A S Bopanna, and Hima Kohli agreed to consider the plea for urgent listing after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rane, sought an urgent hearing of the case.
Rohatgi had alleged that this case was of “political rivalry.”
"Upon being mentioned by Mr Mukul Rohatgi, senior counsel for the petitioner, we deem it appropriate to direct the Registry to list the matter on January 27, 2022, before an appropriate Bench," the Court had stated in its order.
Son of Union Minister Narayan Rane, Nitesh Rane had challenged an order by the Bombay High Court dated January 17 which had rejected his pre-arrest in the attempt to murder case. His anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the High Court after the local Sindhudurg court had quashed his anticipatory bail on December 31.
In his plea, the MLA had stated that the police has not yet found anything that would point to his involvement in the attempt to murder case.
Following a police complaint by a Kankavli resident, Santosh Parab, claiming that he was assaulted by certain people linked with Kankavli MLA, a case was registered against Rane. The said incident took place during the campaigning of the Sindhudurg District Co-operative Bank elections on December 18, 2021, in the Kankavli region of Maharashtra.
Rane was charged with Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.