A magistrate court in Kalyan has acquitted Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a 2009 defamation and election law violation case dating back to a time when both leaders were part of the same political party.
The judgment was delivered on September 23, 2026, by Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Santosh H. Aage. A copy of the order was made available on Thursday. The court cleared Shinde and Thackeray of charges under Sections 171(G) (false statements in connection with an election), 500 (defamation) and 501 (printing defamatory matter) of the Indian Penal Code.
Former MP Anand Paranjape and Shiv Sena leader Ramakant Devlekar were also acquitted. Another accused, Sai Balaram Dharamdasani, died during the course of the trial, resulting in the abatement of proceedings against him.
The case stemmed from the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Late Vasant Shankar Davkhare had filed a complaint alleging that the accused conspired to screen a doctored VCD on a public display during a political rally in Kalyan on April 22, 2009.
According to the prosecution, the video had been tampered with to damage the reputation of a rival candidate and influence the outcome of the election.
However, the court identified significant gaps in the prosecution’s case. Magistrate Aage noted that police personnel and eyewitnesses present at the rally were unable to establish what exactly was shown on the screens.
The court also found that the prosecution failed to produce reliable evidence establishing the chain of custody of the seized CD or conclusively prove that the audio-visual material had been manipulated.
Holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, the court acquitted all the surviving accused.
As part of the statutory procedure, the court directed the acquitted leaders to furnish personal bonds of Rs 10,000 each.
– Ends
