The anticipatory bail plea filed by Union Minister Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh Rane was dismissed by the Bombay High Court on Monday. Rane had filed a pre-arrest bail application in seeking relief from coercive action against him in an attempt-to-murder complaint filed against him in Kankavli.
Nitesh Rane, who remains in the news for his strong stances against the MVA government, was accused as the main conspirator behind an alleged attempt-to-murder incident against a Shiv Sena party member which reportedly took place in December 2021. According to the complaint filed, Santosh Parab (44) was travelling on a bike when an Innova car without a number plate hit him. According to Parab, a person came out of the car and stabbed him. He also heard one of the conspirators saying. “Should inform Gotya Sawant and Nitesh Rane.”
However, Rane in his bail plea has pointed that he has been falsely implicated in the case stating a political intent behind the complaint. A sessions court in Sindhudurg had earlier rejected Rane’s anticipatory bail plea, after which he approached the Bombay High Court. According to Rane, a political conspiracy is being hatched against him for his alleged mocking of Environment Minister Aditya Thackrey during the Winter Assembly session.
Advocate Niteen Pradhan argued before the Judge that the FIR registered against Rane was with the aim of preventing his participation in the Sindhudurg Co-operative Bank district elections that were to be held on December 30, 2021. He added that Rane had been cooperating with the ongoing investigation and had appeared before the police for recording his statements.
Opposing the plea, special counsel Sudeep Pasbola informed that Rane had met with his associate Sachin Satpute to show a photo of Sachin Parab, the victim in the case. Parab, the Shiv Sena member from Kankavli had been allegedly badmouthing Rane and his family. Following this, Rane had allegedly asked Satpute to assault Parab so as to terrorise him from speaking against his family. According to Pasbola, Nitesh Rane along with his associate Satpute tried to threaten Parab to refrain him from speaking against his family.
Pasbola further informed that the phones of Satpute, the alleged co-accused who earlier was arrested by the Delhi Police have been seized and he is waiting for the forensic report. He argued that there was enough evidence against Rane to substantiate the case and requested Rane’s custody to complete the investigation. He concluded by saying, ”Such kinds of persons who have repeatedly indulged in these kinds of crime to create terror in the mind of people, do not deserve indulgence and discretion of the court.”
Nitesh Rane is a BJP MLA from Kankavli, Sindhudurg.