Setting an example of swift justice, Raigad Police completed the investigation and filed a chargesheet in a molestation case within a record 24 hours. The court convicted the accused within the next 24 hours, sentencing him just 48 hours after the crime. The accused, identified as Haresh Mahadev Patil (42), accepted his crime and pleaded for minimal punishment.
This comes just a week after Navi Mumbai Police filed a chargesheet in a molestation case in a record-breaking 18 hours.
On March 11, a woman visiting Kanakeshwar Temple was allegedly stopped and molested by the accused, Patil. Based on her complaint, the Mandwa Coastal Police Station registered a case under BNS Act Sections 74, 78(2), and 79. “We immediately arrested the accused and filed a chargesheet, presenting him before the court within 24 hours,” Assistant Police Inspector Dipak Bhoi from Mandwa Coastal Police Station said.
In a fast-track trial, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Alibag, verified the incident and asked the accused if he pleaded guilty. “The accused was aware that he could face up to five years in prison under the applied sections, so he pleaded guilty and requested a minimal sentence,” API Bhoi said. On March 13, JMFC Isha Ghadge convicted and sentenced the accused to seven days of imprisonment and a fine of ₹1,000.
The accused, Patil, worked as a laborer and resided in Narangi village in Alibag taluka.
The case was investigated by Police Constable Chetan Mhatre, who gathered evidence and filed the chargesheet within 24 hours. Court liaison Police Constable Aparna Magar played a key role in presenting the case.
