Daman, Aug 1 A court here on Saturday sentenced independent Lok Sabha member from Daman and Diu, Umesh Patel, and a co-accused to two years of simple imprisonment in connection with a 2011 case of allegedly obstructing government officials during a recruitment process.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Pranita Bharsakade-Wagh at Daman in the Union territory of Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli sentenced Patel and co-accused Suresh Patel, a former district panchayat member, and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each. It, however, suspended the sentence for one month to enable them to file an appeal in a higher court.
The duo was held guilty under sections 186 (voluntarily obstructing a public servant from doing their duty, and 353 (use of criminal force against a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.
The court, however, acquitted them of the offences punishable under IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to a police personnel), 452 (trespassing) and 504 (intentional insult).
According to the prosecution, the case dates back to March 12, 2011, when the two accused allegedly entered the football ground at Moti Daman, where the recruitment process for the post of excise sub-inspector was underway.
The complainant, Jagmohendra Singh, the then additional superintendent of police, had alleged in his complaint that the two accused pushed police personnel on duty and forcibly entered the venue where interview for the sub inspectors was underway, and misbehaved with them, thereby obstructing public servants from discharging their official duties.
After completion of the trial, the court on Saturday convicted both of them and sentenced them to two years of simple imprisonment.
Umesh Patel had defeated three-time BJP MP Lalu Patel in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Daman and Diu.
