Navin Prakashsingh Thakur was accused of stealing electricity. The court found no evidence against him and cleared his name. Here's what happened.
Navin Thakur, a businessman from Akola, was accused of stealing electricity. The case started when Sandip Rambhau Kayande, an engineer with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), filed a report. He claimed that Navin and two others messed with an electric meter to make it look like they used less electricity, leading to a theft worth over ₹5 lakh.
"The applicant along with a tenant...are indulged in theft of electricity." - FIR No.401/2020
Navin's lawyer, Mr. J.B. Gandhi, argued that Navin wasn't involved. Navin rented out part of his property to a tenant, Syed Ejaj Syed Faiyyaj, who was responsible for the electricity usage. The lease clearly stated that the tenant shouldn't misuse electricity, making the tenant responsible for any illegal actions.
"The tenant...was permitted to use the electricity...on a condition that said tenant would not indulge in any unauthorized or illegal use."
Judges Urmila Joshi-Phalke and Nandesh S. Deshpande reviewed the case. They found that the tenant, not Navin, was using the electricity. The court noted that Navin had even asked for the electricity supply to be cut off to prevent misuse.
"The applicant is nowhere concerned with theft of electricity, since it was the tenant who was consuming the electricity."
The court decided that the case against Navin was unfair. They canceled the FIR, stating that continuing the case would be a misuse of the law. Navin was officially cleared of all charges.
"The First Information Report...is hereby quashed as far as the applicant is concerned."
The court found that Navin Thakur was wrongly accused of stealing electricity. The tenant was the one responsible for the misuse, and Navin took steps to prevent any illegal activity. As a result, all charges against Navin were dropped.
