In a case that lingered for over a decade, the special MP and MLA court has acquitted former minister Omprakash, alias Bachchu Kadu, in a 2011 assault case involving a Public Health Department clerk. The court ruled in favor of Kadu due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
The allegations against Kadu, an independent MLA from Achalpur, stemmed from an incident on January 14, 2011. The clerk had accused Kadu of slapping him during a confrontation at the department’s office. The incident reportedly followed accusations that the clerk had demanded a bribe of ₹40,000 from a medical aspirant seeking an appointment order for a position as a medical officer in Kadu’s constituency.
According to the claims, Kadu visited the Public Health Department office along with the aspirant to address the issue, leading to a heated exchange with the clerk. It was alleged that during the altercation, Kadu slapped the clerk and dragged him to the office of then-minister Suresh Shetty’s personal assistant. However, the clerk maintained that he had no involvement in the appointment process. In the aftermath, the clerk lodged a police complaint against Kadu at the Marine Drive police station. Simultaneously, the Anti-Corruption Bureau filed a case against the clerk for soliciting a bribe, adding a twist to the case.
The matter was initially handled by the Metropolitan Magistrate’s court but was transferred to the sessions court in 2018 after changes to laws regarding offenses against government officials. Despite the prolonged proceedings, the special court found no substantial evidence to support the claims against Kadu, resulting in his acquittal. The detailed court order is expected to be released soon, shedding more light on the reasoning behind the judgment. For now, the verdict brings closure to a high-profile case that has spanned more than a decade.
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