Niphad MLA Anil Kadam on Monday received a bail for `15,000 in a molestation case even as an estimated 20,000 strong all-party morcha was staged in Niphad town here on Monday.
Mr Kadam surrendered in Pimpalgaon Baswant court in Niphad tehsil and was remanded to magisterial custody by JMFC R.B. Karankal. Half an hour later, Mr Kadam’s lawyers forwarded a bail application, which was accepted and the MLA released.
Mr Kadam is accused of threatening employees of an all-woman tollbooth on August 22 in Pimpalgaon Baswan village on the Mumbai-Agra Highway, which is under Mr Kadam’s legislative constituency. The women are from other states and “failed” to recognise the local MLA even after he and his supporters told them.
On August 24, a complaint was filed by manager Vasundra Rao Pillai, stating that Mr Kadam threatened the women at the tollbooth, threw chairs and broke computers. Cases under sections 451, 354A (IV), 427, 504, 506 and 507 of IPC were registered. Later a case of molestation was also registered.
The 20,000-strong morcha, which included an estimated 5000 women, began from Niphad choufully (square) to the tehsildar’s office where a memorandum was presented to the officer.
“People from other talukas participated in this morcha including Pimpalgaon Baswant sarpanch Bhaskar Bankar, NCP leader and Lasalgaon APMC Chairman Jaydatta Holkar, BJP district general secretary Shankar Wagh, MNS leader Rajendra Dhokle, Congress leader Shivaji Dheple, Sena leaders Javed Shaikh, Walmik Kapse and their supporters,” said Ashok Kapse, one of Mr Kadam’s supporters.