Mumbai: BJP MLA, four others convicted in 2017 BMC protest case

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 31 (ANI): A special court here presiding over the matters related to MPs and MLAs has convicted Maharashtra BJP MLA from Sion Koliwada Tamil Selvan and four others in a 2017 matter on charges including unlawful assembly and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty.

The Bharatiya Janata Party MLA was part of the protest against Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) employees and officers who had come to the Sion Koliwada area to disconnect the water and electrical supply of a few buildings in 2017. There was scuffle and stone pelting on the BMC team by local residents and protesters at the spot.

Special Judge R N Rokade found the accused guilty under charges including sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant), 341 (wrongful restraint) and relevant sections and related to unlawful assembly of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court has given six months of punishment to Tamil Selvan and others in this matter. The special court suspended the sentence to allow them time to appeal the decision.

The court also directed the accused to pay a fine of Rs 13, 500 and directed the accused to pay Rs 5,000 to the injured.

R Tamil Selvan who was a corporator first contested assembly elections in 2014 on a BJP ticket and was elected as Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly representing Sion Koliwada constituency. He was re-elected from the same seat in 2019.