On Monday, the Bombay High Court requested clarification from the police on its intentions regarding the case brought by former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar against BJP MLA Ashish Shelar for comments he made at a news conference after a cylinder blast event last year.
The High Court is now debating a plea Shelar filed to have the FIR against him that was lodged as a result of Pednekar’s allegation quashed.
Monday, Shelar’s attorney Rizwan Merchant told the court that there was no desire to insult Pednekar’s modesty.
According to Merchant, Shelar was charged by police under Indian Penal Code section 354(A)(4) without any further investigation.
The statement was merely intended to raise questions about the absence of the prominent figure from the scene of the event, the attorney said, and Shelar had no intention of making anything with a sexual connotation.
The court questioned Additional Government Pleader J P Yagnik about the prosecution’s stance in the case and if they wished to press the matter further.
Yagnik requested time to consult with top police personnel for guidance.
The prosecution was subsequently given one more opportunity to provide a “concrete stand” from the police, and the court continued the hearing until August 25.
After receiving a complaint from Pednekar over certain comments Shelar made at a news conference, Marine Drive police charged Shelar with a crime in December of last year.
In her police complaint, Pednekar claimed Shelar had made disparaging comments about her in relation to a cylinder explosion that occurred at BDD Chawl in Mumbai’s Worli neighborhood on November 30 and left four people dead.
