Mumbai: A city court on Wednesday imposed a cost of Rs 1,000 on Mayor Ritu Tawde for failing to appear before it in a 10-year-old assault case in which she is an accused, cautioning that her absence at the next hearing could lead to the issuance of a warrant and cancellation of bail bonds.
The court had at a previous hearing imposed a cost of Rs 300 on the Mayor, a BJP corporator, after allowing her plea for exemption from personal appearance in the case.
When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, Tawde and the two other accused again sought exemption from appearance. Additional Public Prosecutor Iqbal Solkar opposed their plea, arguing that the matter is several years old and the accused were intentionally avoiding court appearance. Additional Sessions Judge G G Bhansali noted the incident occurred in 2016 and though a chargesheet was filed in 2017, charges were yet to be framed. The court had at a previous hearing imposed a cost of Rs 300 on the Mayor, a BJP corporator, after allowing her plea for exemption from personal appearance in the case.
“The continuous absence of the accused (Tawde and two others) reflects their behaviour to protract the trial,” the judge remarked.
