Kalyan: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray are scheduled to record their statements via videoconferencing before a Kalyan court in a 17-year-old defamation complaint filed by late NCP leader Vasant Davkhare.Thackeray’s statement will be recorded on August 5, and Shinde’s on August 6 under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a routine stage of a criminal trial in which the accused are given an opportunity to explain the evidence brought against them. With this process nearing completion, the long-pending trial is expected to move closer to its conclusion.The case dates back to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, which saw a fierce contest in the Kalyan constituency between the undivided NCP candidate Davkhare and the undivided Shiv Sena’s Anand Paranjpe.According to the prosecution, during an election campaign meeting at Pote Maidan in Kolsewadi, Shiv Sena leaders allegedly screened a video of Davkhare at a meeting at Ulhasnagar politician Pappu Kalani’s residence purportedly making controversial remarks. Davkhare claimed that the video was doctored with the deliberate intent to malign his public image and defame him ahead of the polls. Sena denied the claim. Later, Paranjpe won the election.Following a complaint by Davkhare, Kolsewadi police registered a case of defamation. A criminal case was subsequently filed before the Kalyan court against Thackeray, Shinde, Paranjpe and the event organiser, Ramakant Deolekar.Davkhare passed away in 2018, but the trial continued. The recording of statements of Thackeray and Shinde is expected to mark a significant stage in the proceedings before the court delivers its judgment.
