Nilesh Ghaywal Acquitted in 2020 Extortion Case; MCOCA Court Clears All Accused
A MCOCA court has acquitted Nilesh Ghaywal and all other accused in a 2020 extortion case related to an alleged demand made while Ghaywal was in prison. The complainant later denied the allegations in court and stated that his original complaint had been recorded under pressure, according to the case details provided.
Pune: Nilesh Ghaywal, who is currently reported to be absconding from the country, has been acquitted along with the other accused in a 2020 extortion case by the MCOCA court.
The case concerned an alleged extortion demand made while Ghaywal was in prison. According to the prosecution case, accused Santosh Dhumal allegedly demanded a jeep from the complainant for a relative's rally.
The case was initially investigated by the Crime Branch, with then Police Inspector Balaji Pandhare handling the investigation.
Complainant Later Denied Allegations
According to the case details, the complainant subsequently submitted an affidavit alleging that his original complaint had been registered under pressure from the police and investigating agency.
The complainant also approached the High Court through a writ petition. Following the proceedings, the High Court directed the police to record the complainant's statement again.
In the subsequent statement, the complainant reportedly denied the entire sequence of events and stated that no such incident had taken place.
During the trial before the MCOCA court, the complainant again denied the allegations under oath and maintained that the original complaint had been recorded under pressure. Other witnesses and panch witnesses also reportedly denied the alleged events.
All Accused Acquitted
After considering the arguments and evidence presented during the trial, MCOCA Judge S. Salunkhe acquitted Nilesh Ghaywal and the other accused in the case.
The accused were represented by different lawyers. Senior advocate Vipul Dushing appeared for Nilesh Ghaywal, while Advocate Ritesh Gadade represented Musa Sheikh, Advocate Anish Padekar represented Akshay Gogawale, Advocate Bilal Maniyar represented Kunal Kandhare, and Advocate Salman Pathan represented Santosh Dhumal and Vipul Majire.
The case is notable because Ghaywal was reportedly outside the country when the judgment was delivered, yet the court proceeded to decide the matter and acquitted him.
Defence Lawyer Welcomes Verdict
Following the judgment, senior advocate Vipul Dushing welcomed the acquittal and said that such verdicts reflect the functioning of the judicial system. The defence side also expressed gratitude to the judiciary.
The acquittal relates specifically to the 2020 extortion case described above; the material provided does not establish the outcome of any other cases reportedly pending against Ghaywal or others.