DIKSHA BHARAT DHANDE vs THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

Judgment text excerpt

Gokhale 1 of 43 907-Apeal-437 & 1319-11 (J) IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 437 OF 2011 Diksha Bharat Dhande ..Appellant Versus The State of Maharashtra ..Respondent WITH CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 1319 OF 2011 The State of Maharashtra ..Appellant Versus Chahu Balu Mhatre ..Respondent __________ Mr. R. D. Suryawanshi a/w. Mr. Roshan Hule, Suraj N. Naik and Ketkee Kamble i/b. Mr. B. G. Tangsali for Appellant in Criminal Appeal No.437 of 2011. Mr. Pankaj P. Devkar, APP for State/Respondent in Appeal No.437 of 2011 and for the Appellant in Appeal No.1319 of 2011. Mr. Dushyant Pagare a/w. Shubhashree Yewale for Respondent in Appeal No.1319 of 2011. __________ CORAM : SARANG V. KOTWAL, J. DATE : 6 AUGUST 2025 JUDGMENT: 1. Both these Appeals are decided by this common Judgment today because they arise out of a common Judgment and order passed by the learned Special Judge (Anti Corruption) Digitally signed by VINOD VINOD BHASKAR BHASKAR GOKHALE GOKHALE Date: 2025.08.11 17:08:40 +0530 2 of 43 907-Apeal-437 & 1319-11 (J) Thane, on 16.04.2011, in Special Case No.17 of 2006. The Appellant Diksha Dhande in Criminal Appeal No.437 of 2011 was the original Accused No.1 and the Respondent Chahu Mhatre in Criminal Appeal No.1319 of 2011 was the original Accused No.2. For the sake of convenience, both of them are referred to by their original status as the accused before the trial Court. 2. The learned Trial Judge convicted the Accused No.1 Diksha for commission of the offence punishable U/s.7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (for short ‘P.C.Act’) and sentenced her to suffer imprisonment for one year and to pay a fine of Rs.5000/- and in default to suffer S.I. for two months. She was also convicted for commission of the offe