Pune: The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Prajakta P Patil acquitted Maratha Seva Sangh founder Purushottam Khedekar and publisher Kishor Sahebrao Kadu in 2011 case of promoting enmity between two communities by way of a book titled ‘Shivrayanchya Badnamichi Kendre’.On June 11, 2011, the Bund Garden police had registered the case based on a complaint by Janwadi resident Shyam Satpute alleging that three of the 55-page book contained objectionable remarks about a particular community. Khedekar and Kadu, as the author and the publisher of the book, respectively, were charged under sections 153A (promoting enmity between communities) and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code. On June 16, 2011, they secured anticipatory bail from a city court.The court held that the prosecution failed to present key evidence despite repeated opportunities as it did not examine material witnesses, including those connected with the publication and seizure of the book.The court noted that no oral or written arguments were advanced on behalf of the prosecution despite multiple opportunities.A chargesheet was filed in 2013 and the evidence stage commenced in 2017. The state had appointed two public prosecutors for the case. Defence counsel Milind Pawar said, “Holding that there was no credible evidence to establish that the contents of the book led to enmity or disturbance between communities, the court acquitted Khedekar and Kadu.”
