Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray acquitted in 17-year defamation case

A magistrate court in Kalyan has acquitted Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a defamation and election law violation case that has lasted 17 years.

The case originated during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections following a complaint by the late Vasant Shankar Davkhare. He alleged that a doctored VCD was displayed during a political rally to damage his reputation and influence the election outcome.

Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class Santosh H. Aage ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The court noted deficiencies in the evidence, specifically regarding the chain of custody of the seized CD and the inability of witnesses to confirm the exact content displayed during the rally.

In addition to Shinde and Thackeray, former MP Anand Paranjape and Shiv Sena leader Ramakant Devlekar were also acquitted. Proceedings against another accused, Sai Balaram Dharamdasani, were abated due to his death during the trial.