–Ulhasnagar: Former Ulhasnagar municipal corporation (UMC) deputy commissioner Yuvraj Bhadane has secured significant legal relief with Bombay high court and a sessions court ruling in his favour in two separate cases that had led to his dismissal from civic service three years ago, reports Pradeep Gupta.Bhadane, who was fired after a departmental inquiry into several allegations primarily concerning discrepancies in his birth certificate and a rape case filed with Turbhe police, claimed the court orders have effectively cleared his name and paved the way for his reinstatement. His advocate Deepak Mishra alleged the cases against Bhadane were the result of a conspiracy by those upset over his demolition drives against illegal constructions.Addressing a news conference on Wednesday with his advocate Deepak Mishra, Yuvraj Bhadane said Belapur sessions court had acquitted him in the rape case after the complainant stated during the trial that he was not the person who had sexually assaulted her and that she was seeing him for the first time in court. Citing the absence of evidence and other deficiencies in the prosecution’s case, the court acquitted him.In the alleged manipulation of his date of birth records submitted at the time of joining service, HC upheld the validity of his birth certificate and directed the trial court not to frame charges against him, observing that there was no material to support allegations of manipulation.Mishra said since the courts had granted relief in both matters, the civic administration should reinstate Bhadane with all consequential service benefits, including consideration for promotion.UMC had dismissed Bhadane in 2023 after a departmental inquiry held allegations against him had been “proved”. Bhadane had once reported a person who allegedly tried to bribe him, leading to the individual’s arrest by Anti-Corruption Bureau. However, his own career has been marked by controversies.The allegation against Bhadane was that he had shown his date of birth as June 1, 1972, in his official records, whereas his actual birth year was 1970, and that he had secured the post in UMC using incorrect birth records. However, during the hearing, Bhadane’s counsel produced documents before the court, which accepted that his date of birth was indeed June 1, 1972.Meanwhile, Bhadane has also filed a writ petition before the Bombay high court challenging the UMC’s order dismissing him from service. The matter is currently pending adjudication before the HC.
