Nilesh Rane junior seeks pre-arrest bail

Former Congress MP Nilesh Rane, son of former Maharashtra CM and senior Congress leader Narayan Rane, on Tuesday approached the Bombay high court seeking pre-arrest bail in connection with a kidnap and assault case.

The Congress leader has been accused of kidnapping and assaulting an activist of his own party.

The police in Chiplun had registered a case against Nilesh Rane and three others after Congress activist Sandeep Sawant complained that the aforementioned people had kidnapped and assaulted him on April 24.

These people had first moved anticipatory bail applications in a sessions court in district Khed. The court had initially granted them interim protection from arrest, however when the matter again came up for hearing on Monday the court refused to extend the interim relief. Following this, junior Rane moved the Bombay high court seeking protection from arrest in the case.

His lawyer Archit Sakhalkar mentioned anticipatory bail application before the high court on Tuesday and the court would hear the application on Wednesday.

The prosecution stated that Sandeep was allegedly dragged out of his house and taken to Mumbai. On the way, he was beaten in the vehicle. According to sources, Narayan Rane had also tried to play down the episode, saying, Sandeep was neither kidnapped nor beaten and that it was an internal matter between two families.