Maha minister Sudhir Mungantiwar acquitted in 2021 protest case

A court here on Thursday acquitted Maharashtra Minister of Forest, Cultural Affairs and Fisheries Sudhir Mungantiwar and seven others in a case related to a protest organised by the BJP during the coronavirus pandemic in 2021.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to which Mungantiwar belongs, had organised a `Shankh Naad' and `Ghanta Naad' protest against the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government's decision not to reopen temples and other places of worship in view of the pandemic. BJP workers had rung puja bells and blown conches across the state during the protest. Mumbai Police had registered a case against Mungantiwar and seven others for allegedly flouting police orders.

Metropolitan Magistrate N A Patel on Thursday acquitted all the accused.

The detailed order copy was yet to be available.