Former Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer Mehboob Mujawar, who had earlier claimed he was instructed by senior officers to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast but refused due to lack of evidence, has been acquitted in a separate criminal case.
Mujawar, along with his wife Nilofar and associate Uttam Navgire, was facing charges of criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and trespassing. The case was registered in April 2009, about six months after the Malegaon blast.
Mujawar has consistently maintained that the case was filed in retaliation for his refusal to carry out what he called an “illegal order.”
The complaint was filed by Nazeer A. Hanif Karigar, who alleged that on April 14, 2009, Mujawar and others entered his shop in Solapur, threatened him and claimed ownership of the property.
The prosecution stated that Mujawar, identifying himself as an ATS officer, allegedly pointed a revolver at a witness, used abusive language and said he could “do an encounter” on anyone. The accused reportedly refused to vacate the property, asserting it had been purchased for Rs 80 lakh.
The case dragged on for over a decade. In 2016, Mujawar filed an application seeking speedy trial, stating that the ongoing proceedings had caused him to miss out on a promotion to Deputy Superintendent of Police in 2012 and that further delays would impact his retirement benefits.
In his application, he also linked the case to high-profile individuals named in the Malegaon blast investigation, including Sandeep Dange, Ramji Kalsangra, Col. Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya, and referenced the alleged involvement of 600 kg of RDX.
In a sworn statement to the court, Mujawar reiterated that he had been asked to arrest Mohan Bhagwat, a claim that was later cited by an accused in the Malegaon case in a Mumbai court to support allegations of a wider conspiracy and custodial torture by investigating officers.
However, the Solapur Magistrate court did not consider these submissions in deciding the case against Mujawar. Chief Judicial Magistrate K.P. Jain-Desarda acquitted all three accused, citing lack of evidence.
The court noted that the complainant had since moved to Canada and could not be examined despite being summoned. Other prosecution witnesses failed to support the allegations or lacked corroboration.
One witness, Gulam Hussain Kasimsaheb Shaikh, testified that Mujawar had pointed a gun and issued threats, but the court found his testimony insufficient on its own.
No weapon was recovered during the investigation, and key documentary evidence, such as a police commissioner’s prohibition order, was excluded due to lack of proper certification.
“In the absence of the complainant’s testimony and supporting evidence, the benefit of doubt must go to the accused,” the court observed. All three accused were acquitted on January 27, 2020.
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