Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane Gets One-Month for throwing mud on NHAI engineer

A Sindhudurg court convicted BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane in a 2019 case involving an NHAI engineer during a protest over Mumbai-Goa highway conditions. The sentence was later suspended to allow appeal.

Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane was on Monday sentenced to one month in jail by a court in Sindhudurg in connection with a 2019 incident in which mud was allegedly poured on a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) engineer during a protest over the poor condition of the Mumbai-Goa highway.

The court, however, later suspended the sentence, giving Rane time to challenge the verdict before a higher court.

What The Case Was About

The incident dates back to July 4, 2019, when Rane, then in the opposition, had reportedly called NHAI deputy engineer Prakash Shedekar to inspect ongoing work on a bridge over the Gad river in Kankavli.

According to the prosecution, Rane and his supporters confronted the engineer over waterlogging, delays and road quality complaints. During the protest, muddy water was allegedly poured on the official and he was forced to walk through slush in public.

Court’s Observations

Additional Sessions Judge V S Deshmukh said that even if the protest was linked to public inconvenience, humiliating a public servant in public could not be justified.

The court observed that if such acts continue, public servants may not be able to discharge their duties with dignity. It also described the incident as an abuse of power and said such tendencies needed to be curbed.

The judge further noted that the engineer held a senior post in NHAI, yet was publicly insulted.

Conviction And Acquittals

Rane was convicted under sections related to:

• Intentional insult likely to provoke breach of peace
• Obstructing a public servant from performing official duty

At the same time, the court acquitted 29 other accused, citing lack of sufficient evidence on several other charges including rioting and conspiracy.

The verdict has drawn attention because Rane is now a minister in the Maharashtra government and remains a prominent BJP leader in the state. The case also revives discussion around political protests crossing legal limits.

With the sentence suspended, Rane is expected to move a higher court against the conviction in the coming days.