Aditya Pancholi’s conviction upheld in 2005 parking assault case by Mumbai sessions court

A sessions court in Mumbai has upheld the conviction of actor Aditya Pancholi in a 2005 parking assault case but has modified the punishment handed to him by a magistrate. The court decided to release the 59-year-old actor on a bond of good behaviour rather than having him serve the one-year jail term originally imposed.

The case dates back to August 21, 2005, when Pancholi allegedly assaulted Pratik Pashine over a parking dispute in Andheri. According to the police complaint, Pancholi struck Pashine on the nose, causing a fracture. Following this, Pancholi was convicted under Section 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code by the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court in November 2016. The court had sentenced him to one year in prison and directed him to pay Rs 20,000 in compensation to Pashine.

Pancholi filed an appeal against the conviction, claiming discrepancies in the victim’s and his wife’s statements, and contended that he had been falsely implicated in the case. He also pointed out that witnesses such as the building watchman were not examined.

In the ruling on Thursday, Additional Sessions Judge D G Dhoble partly allowed Pancholi’s appeal, noting that while the actor’s actions were not premeditated, the assault took place in a “heat-of-the-moment” dispute. The court took into account the fact that the incident occurred 20 years ago, Pancholi’s age (71 years), his clean criminal record, and the nature of the dispute when reducing the sentence. It also directed Pancholi to pay a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to the victim to avail the benefit of release under the Probation of Offenders Act.

The session court’s decision to modify the jail sentence while upholding the conviction has drawn attention, reflecting a balance between the severity of the offence and the actor’s circumstances.