Mumbai: 4-year jail for Chembur man who slapped cop – Times of India

MUMBAI: A 36-year-old Chembur man sentenced to four-year jail for slapping and abusing a cop in 2011 will have to spend another three months in jail if he is unable to pay a fine.
Anil Gholap and Mahesh Marimuthu were facing trial for abusing, slapping and assaulting police constable Kalpesh Mokul attached to the Sion police. Marimuthu passed away a few years ago and so the case against him was abated.
Besides sections 332 and 353 of IPC, they had been charged under section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) as well.
Around 2. 30am on March 11, 2011, Mokul saw two persons fighting outside an ATM in Sion. Mokul, who was not in uniform, introduced himself as a cop and tried to pacify them. But Gholap and Marimuthu slapped and abused him. At this point, Mokul took the help of another constable, Dinkar Jadhav, and dragged the two brawling men to the police station and lodged a complaint, said additional public prosecutor Sachin Patil.
Investigating officer Jitendra Thakur said the assault and abuse had been corroborated by four witnesses. Doctor Sudhir Chaudhari deposed that Mokul had injuries on his left ear and temple area and had complained of tinnitus and decreased hearing.
When defence lawyer Jaya Jadhav argued that Mokul was not in uniform, Patil pointed out that since Mokul worked in the detection section, it was not mandatory. He had, moreover, told the
two he was a policeman. Patil argued that Gholap had committed a serious offence in assaulting a
public servant in a public place and damaging his hearing. In order to send a strong message to miscreants, the severest punishment is needed. The Maharashtra Amendment Act, 2017, increased the maximum punishment for assault of public servants, including cops and doctors, Patil told TOI .
The state passed the amendment as between 2011 to 2015, as many as 17,682 cases of assault on public servants were registered in the state. “Everyday police officials are doing their duty and trying to maintain peace and order in society. I am of the considered opinion that a slap on the police is nothing but a slap on the law and order system,” said Patil.