MUMBAI, July 31 -- The sessions court on Thursday acquitted Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab and 10 others in a case of alleged assault on civic officials in June 2023 in the H-East ward office, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish that the accused had committed the alleged offences. Presiding over the special MP/ MLA court, additional sessions judge Mahesh K Jadhav held that although the prosecution had proved that the complainant and other witnesses were public servants discharging official duties at the time of the incident, it had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused had assaulted, threatened or obstructed the civic officials. The case stemmed from an incident on June 26, 2023, when Parab and other Shiv Sena (UBT) functionaries visited the H-East ward office after the demolition of a party office in Bandra East. According to the prosecution, civic issues such as water supply were discussed before the Sena (UBT) functionaries raised objections over the demolition of the party office and alleged damage to photographs of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr BR Ambedkar. A scuffle subsequently broke out inside the ward officer's chamber and assistant engineer Ajay Patil was assaulted and obstructed from performing his official duties, the prosecution said. But the court said, "Prosecution has failed to prove accused in furtherance of their common intention, assaulted and used criminal force to the public servant with intent to prevent them from discharging their duty as a public servant. None of the witnesses stated that the accused voluntarily caused hurt or assaulted the public servant."...