Maha: Fifth FIR registered against lawyer Sadavarte, this time in Solapur city

Earlier, a case of cheating was also registered against Sadavarte at Akot City police station in Aloka district, the official said.According to the complainant Vijay Malokar, an office-bearer of Shiv Sena-supported MSRTC employees organisation, Sadavarte had allegedly collected money from the state transport employees and cheated them.A team of Akola police is in Mumbai to take Sadavartes custody in the case, but his remand has been given to Kolhapur police in connection with a case registered against him at Shahupuri police station.

An FIR has been registered against lawyer Gunratna Sadavarte in Maharashtra's Solapur district for allegedly promoting enmity among different groups and for contempt of court, a police official said on Wednesday. This is the fifth FIR registered against him in the state in the last couple of weeks.

Sadavarte, who claimed to represent the striking workers of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), was arrested along with several state transport workers by the Mumbai police earlier this month after they staged a sudden and fierce protest outside NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence in south Mumbai.

Following the incident, different FIRs were registered against him in Mumbai, Satara, Kolhapur and Akola, an official said. ''The latest FIR was registered around 11.15 pm on Tuesday at Faujdar Chawdi police station in Solapur city,'' he said.

Talking about the case, the official said, ''While speaking about the verdict of a court on Maratha reservation, lawyer Sadavarte had made some objectionable comments, following which an office-bearer of Chhava Sanghatna, an organisation, had lodged a complaint against Sadavarte.'' Acting on his complaint, the FIR was registered against him under section 153 A, 153 B, 500, 505 (1), 505 (2) of IPC and section 2 of Contempt of Court Act, he said.

Police had first arrested Sadavarte on April 8 on the charge of rioting and conspiracy in connection with the attack on NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence 'Silver Oak' by the striking MSRTC employees, he said.

So far 118 persons have been arrested in the case, he said, adding that Sadavarte's wife Jayshree Patil is also shown as accused in the case. Earlier, a case of cheating was also registered against Sadavarte at Akot City police station in Aloka district, the official said.

According to the complainant Vijay Malokar, an office-bearer of Shiv Sena-supported MSRTC employees' organisation, Sadavarte had allegedly collected money from the state transport employees and cheated them.

A team of Akola police is in Mumbai to take Sadavarte's custody in the case, but his remand has been given to Kolhapur police in connection with a case registered against him at Shahupuri police station. Earlier, the Satara police had got Sadavarte's custody, he said, adding that after the remand got over, he was brought to Mumbai and was handed over to Kolhapur police.