Pune: Baramati Court Issues Summons to Ajit Pawar in Election Threat Case

Baramati, 22nd November 2024: The Additional District Court in Baramati has issued a summons to Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and sitting MLA of Baramati, Ajit Pawar. The summons is related to an alleged incident in 2014, where Ajit Pawar allegedly threatened villagers, saying, “If you don’t vote for our candidate, no water will be provided for you.” A complaint regarding this was filed by retired IPS officer Suresh Khopade.

In 2014, when Khopade was contesting elections from Baramati as a representative of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he reportedly received a voice recording of Ajit Pawar allegedly threatening the villagers of Masalwadi in Baramati Taluka. At that time, Ajit Pawar was the Irrigation Minister of Maharashtra. A case was registered against him at the Vadgaon Nimbalkar Police Station under IPC Sections 171(C) (punishment for illegal payments in connection with elections) and 171(F) (punishment for undue influence at elections). As it was a non-cognisable offence, the case went to court.

The then Pune Rural Superintendent of Police, Manoj Lohiya, gave Ajit Pawar a clean chit, and many of his political allies rushed to his support. In an interview, Ajit Pawar denied the allegations, stating, “We held a meeting, but I didn’t say that sentence. Somebody mimicked my voice.” However, a report claims the voice in the recording belongs to Ajit Pawar. The court has been presented with this evidence, which is why Ajit Pawar has been summoned.

If found guilty, the accused may face up to one year in jail, a fine, or both. Additionally, if convicted, he could be banned from participating in elections for eight years, according to Adv. Sumesh Nagulpelli and Adv. Ravindra Bhawar, who are handling the case.