MUMBAI: A South Mumbai-based lawyer, among those booked by the police on charges of using criminal force to deter a public servant from performing their duty after a parking row with authorities earlier this month, has been granted anticipatory bail by the sessions court.
“Looking at the nature of offence and as per submission, the incident happened on the spur of the moment on account of heated argument. I think custodial interrogation of the applicant, who is a practicing advocate, is not required in the offence,” the court said.
While the court accepted that the city’s existing traffic woes worsened due to water and electricity related digging, it observed that it did not mean that residents should park vehicles in no parking zone or disobey the traffic rules.
“It is the duty of every citizen to obey the rules and cooperate with the public authority to smooth functioning of the city like Mumbai,” the court said.
The lawyer Saurabh Nagarsheth is accused of confronting the authorities who were cracking down on illegal parking near Marine Drive on February 4 and allegedly refused to pay fines.
However, Nagarsheth in his plea, submitted that the road adjacent to his building had been dug up by BMC and residents were forced to park their vehicles on the road.
He further submitted that when police took action against the illegal parking, he just helped a person to get his bike unclamped on humanitarian grounds as he had to rush for a medical emergency.
Nagarsheth alleged that authorities, however, snatched his phone which led to heated argument and he was the one assaulted.
