Nitesh Rane, a minister in Maharashtra, sentenced to one month in jail for pouring mud on government official

A court in Maharashtra has convicted BJP leader Nitesh Rane in a 2019 case involving the assault of a highway engineer, sentencing him to one month in jail while suspending the punishment to allow an appeal.

The case stems from a protest over the poor condition of the Mumbai–Goa highway, during which Rane and his समर्थers allegedly poured mud on Prakash Shedekar, a deputy engineer with the National Highways Authority of India.

Rane—son of former Union minister Narayan Rane—was among 30 accused booked under charges including rioting, assault to deter a public servant, and criminal conspiracy. At the time of the incident, he was with the Congress.

A Sindhudurg court, however, acquitted all accused of the more serious charges, citing lack of evidence. Rane was found guilty only under Indian Penal Code Section 504, which deals with intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of public peace and obstruct a public servant from performing duties. The remaining 29 accused were acquitted.

In its ruling, the court said that while Rane may have intended to highlight public grievances over poor infrastructure, his actions amounted to humiliation of a public official. “He was not supposed to insult or degrade a public servant in public,” the judge observed, warning that such conduct undermines the dignity required for officials to carry out their duties.

Describing the incident as an “abuse of power,” the court stressed the need to curb such behavior.

According to the prosecution, the घटना took place on July 4, 2019, when Rane called the engineer to inspect a bridge over the Gad river in Kankavli. Frustrated over substandard work and waterlogging, Rane and his समर्थers allegedly forced the engineer to walk through slush after dousing him with muddy water.

The court noted that the victim held a senior position and was publicly humiliated. It concluded that forcing him into the muddy water was a deliberate insult likely to provoke a breach of peace.