A court in Thane district has rejected the pre-arrest bail application of Shiv Sena leader Waman Mhatre, who faces an FIR for allegedly abusing a female reporter.
The incident occurred last week while the reporter was covering a protest over the sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur, Thane district.
The journalist reported that Mhatre made objectionable comments about her, prompting her to file a police complaint. Following this, the police registered an FIR against Mhatre, a former president of the Badlapur civic body, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Mhatre, however, has denied the allegations. Despite this, Additional Public Prosecutor Kadambini Khandagale opposed his pre-arrest bail plea on various grounds. After hearing arguments from both sides, Additional Sessions Judge MA Mote at the Kalyan court decided to reject Mhatre’s plea for pre-arrest bail.
