Pune court discharges MLA Jitendra Avhad in 2016 Fergusson College violence case.
Court finds insufficient evidence and notes Avhad was a victim, not an assailant.
Earlier magistrate order rejecting discharge plea is set aside.
Pune, 17 October 2025: The Additional Sessions Court in Pune has cleared Nationalist Congress Party MLA Jitendra Avhad of all charges in connection with the 2016 Fergusson College violence. The order, passed by Judge Aniruddha Subhash Gandhi on October 13, stated there was insufficient evidence to frame charges against the legislator.
Awhad, representing Thane, had challenged an earlier order by the Judicial Magistrate First Class in Pune, which had rejected his plea for discharge on August 22, 2025. The sessions court held that the magistrate’s order was “not legal, proper and correct,” and therefore allowed Avhad’s revision plea, setting aside the earlier decision.
The case originated from a violent incident on March 23, 2016, following the death of Rohith Vemula. Avhad had faced accusations under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including unlawful assembly, causing hurt, endangering life, and wrongful restraint, along with a charge under the Bombay Police Act.
In its verdict, the court observed that the evidence suggested Avhad was more a victim than a perpetrator. Defence counsel Harshad Nimbalkar stated that Avhad was at the Kimaya Building near the college and was not part of the mob.
He added that the opposing group became aggressive, attempting to corner the MLA while pelting stones, slippers, and bottles at him and his vehicle. The court also noted that Avhad’s bodyguard had raised a firearm in the air during the chaos
Regarding the unlawful assembly charge, the court pointed out that the offence requires at least five persons sharing a common objective. While witnesses mentioned two large groups, supporters of Prakash Ambedkar and ABVP activists, the prosecution could not prove that Avhad had formed or joined any unlawful assembly. The charge sheet also failed to clarify the number of persons accompanying him.
The court concluded that there was no evidence of Avhad causing hurt or endangering life. With insufficient evidence to proceed under the cited provisions, the legislator was discharged from the case.