Mumbai: The sessions court has sentenced two hoteliers to three years’ imprisonment for assaulting police officials who allegedly raided their premises for possession of liquor without a valid licence in July 2016.
Additional Sessions Judge Shashikant E Bangar, while awarding the sentence, observed, “The violence with police officers who are entrusted the duties to maintain the law and order, peace and tranquility and to enforce the provisions of penal laws or statutes, cannot be taken lightly, else there would be no place for the common public to approach for seeking help against crimes and criminals.”
According to the case registered with Nehru Nagar police, accused Sudesh Shetty, Sonu Shetty, and Anil Dhone assaulted the police officers on July 25, 2016. The officers had raided a premises behind the hotel for illegal possession of liquor. It is alleged that Sudesh and Sonu used criminal force, abused the officers, and later pushed them before fleeing the spot.
Dhone died during the trial, and the case against him was abated. The court held that he was found in possession of liquor illegally and that Sudesh and Sonu prevented the police from taking action.
The defence argued the trio had been falsely implicated after asking the officers to pay their food bill, and that the police assaulted and threatened them with further false cases. However, the court rejected this defence, stating it was unsupported by evidence.
The court said, “There appears no remorse nor any repentance with the accused persons regarding the offences proved against them but they are maintaining their stands of innocence and false implication without any evidence in support thereof at the appropriate stage of the trial.”
“The mitigating circumstances like the responsibilities to maintain their old aged parents and families with minor children are not outweighing the severity of the aggravating circumstances of possessing liquor for illicit sale and then causing obstruction to the public servants, i.e, the police officers in discharge of their duties by resisting them from taking the accused (Dhone) along with muddemal property to the police station,” the court added.
