Judge orders FIR Against MLA for Assault on Journalist Sandip Mahajan

Justice Sharad R Pawar of the District and Sessions Court, Jalgaon has ordered police to file an First Information Report (FIR) against Pachora MLA Kishor Appa Patil and his associates for the brutal assault of journalist Sandip Mahajan in broad daylight on Aug 9, 2023.

Mahajan, editor of a newspaper and Youtube channel “Dhyeya News”, has been struggling to get an FIR registered against the powerful MLA (of the Shinde Sena) for more than a year. Police had only filed a non-cognisable offence despite clear video evidence of the assault.

The powerful MLA, who belongs to the Shinde Shiv Sena is the party’s candidate for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Read more about the assault on Sandip Mahajan here: Impunity Marks Journalist Sandip Mahajan’s Struggle for Justice

Adv Paresh Patil told Free Speech Collective that the judge ordered the application of charges under the Indian Penal Code under sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 120 B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention).

The judge also ordered that Section 3 of the Maharashtra Media Persons and Media Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2017 be applied in the case. The section prohibits any act of violence against a media person or damage or loss to the property of media person or media institution.

Adv Patil said the police will need to register the FIR without any further delay. “Now that the court had pronounced its order, we expect the police to conduct all investigations speedily and even arrest the MLA and his associates,” he said.

Mahajan told FSC that he was vindicated by the order. “I was assaulted in broad daylight in a chowk named after my freedom fighter father. The MLA tried to defame me afterwards and discredit me. But I refused to give up. Police have to investigate and book the culprits,. I am an independent journalist and I was only doing my job. This is the very least I can expect in a democracy” he said.