“The grounds raised by the accused for relaxation of condition do not involve question of life and death,” judge Kanthale said while referring to the fact that Marne is facing serious charges under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) with a history of 28 offences to his name. “It is a different question whether those charges are true or false or that the accused has been convicted or acquitted in those cases,” the judge noted.The judge said, “It is the wife of the accused, and not the accused, who is contesting the election. It is stated that the wife of the accused had been elected on the same seat in the earlier tenure. It reflects that she is capable of campaigning for herself and seeking public votes. Interestingly enough, the wife of the accused has nowhere sought the presence of the accused for her election campaign.”Meanwhile, the Pune city crime branch officials are searching for Marne in Mulshi taluka, for allegedly pressuring people to vote for his wife. Marne’s wife is contesting civic elections from the Kothrud-Bavdhan area.Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, “As per the bail condition by the court, he cannot enter the Pune city limits. However, his wife is a candidate, and he is campaigning for her. We have received some complaints which state that Marne is pressuring them to vote for his wife. Our team is searching for him in Mulshi to warn him against the same.”Pune police arrested Marne and nine others and invoked MCOCA provisions against them in a case linked to the attack on a software engineer, who works for BJP’s online campaign, during Shiv Jayanti celebrations at Bhelke Chowk in Kothrud on Feb 19, 2025.On Nov 28, 2025, then special judge SR Salunkhe granted bail to Marne but restrained him from entering the PMC limits till the Bombay High Court decided his petition seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him.Special public prosecutor Pramod Bombatkar opposed Marne’s plea for relaxation by arguing that the elections are in the offing and there is tremendous pressure on the law enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order. The prosecutor said that permitting Marne within the PMC limits would only add a burden to the police, as there was every likelihood of the accused indulging in similar offending acts under the guise of election campaigning.Judge Kanthale noted, “The apprehensions expressed by the prosecution cannot be said to be unfounded. …..Having regard to the criminal antecedents of the accused, the question of deterioration of law and order situation cannot be altogether ruled out.”On Marne’s plea that the charges against him are false and concocted, the judge said, “He (Marne) must realise that his liberty on bail is with certain conditions, which are not unreasonable or harsh. Hence, I do not find any merit in the prayer of the accused to relax the condition so imposed. Accused may, at the most, exercise his right to vote on the election date and is permitted to enter the city limits, strictly for the said purpose. Upon casting his vote, he shall leave the PMC limits.”(With inputs from Gitesh Shelke)
