MAHADEO Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The applicant is invoking the powers of this Court under sec. 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and seeking quashment of crime no. 183 of 2021 registered with Sakri Police Station, Tq. Sakri, District Dhule for the offence punishable under sec. 295, 295-A and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, registered on an FIR filed by the respondent no. 2.

(2.) We have heard both the sides.

(3.) The sum and substance of the allegations in the FIR filed on 14/6/2021 are to the effect that the respondent no. 2 is a small time vendor selling snacks from place to place. He alleged that he also goes to the premises of Panchayat Samiti office and knows the employees therein. He alleged that in the premises of Panchayat Samiti, there is Office of the Land Records. There is an idol of Mahadeo adjacent to that office of the Land Records installed on a platform with necessary articles for performing pooja. He alleged that on 9/6/2021 in the afternoon hours when he had gone to the office of Panchayat Samiti, he saw that the present applicant was asking couple of his Peons, namely, Ambarsingh Vanjari and Mahendra Bhalchandra Pawar to remove and throw away the idol and other articles from the platform and even threatened to demolish the platform. When the Peons were reluctant, he threatened them and then caused them to remove the utensils for performing pooja, a small idol of Ganpati and photo frame of Saibaba. They obliged him by throwing those outside the compound wall. He, therefore, alleged that by such conduct, the applicant offended the religious feelings.