A court in Maharashtra's Beed district has dismissed a legal complaint filed against former state minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde. The plea was submitted by a woman, Karuna Munde, who claimed to be his first legally wedded wife and alleged that he concealed this information in his nomination papers for the 2024 assembly elections.
Court's Ruling: No Prima Facie Case Established
On Wednesday, Judicial Magistrate Dipak Borde of the Parli Vaijnath court rejected the application. The magistrate ruled that Karuna Munde failed to establish a prima facie case against the NCP politician. The court emphasized that the alleged concealment of facts was not done with the intention to win the election.
"It appears there is no impact on his election victory due to the alleged concealment of facts as claimed by the complainant. Therefore, non-disclosure of such fact does not seem to be with the intent to be elected in an election," the court held in its order.
Details of the Complaint and the Defense
Karuna Munde had approached the court under provisions of the Representation of the People Act (RP Act). Her core grievance was that despite being his first wife, her name was not mentioned in the nomination papers when Dhananjay Munde contested the November 2024 assembly election from the Parli constituency in Beed district.
In his defense, Munde's lawyer, B Kawade, argued that their relationship was consensual and resulted in two children. He stated that the former minister had only permitted the use of his name and surname in the children's documents for their welfare. The lawyer contended that Karuna Munde was fully aware that Munde was already married when she voluntarily entered into the relationship, which ended in November 2020.
Discrepancies and Lack of Evidence Noted by Court
The court's order highlighted several inconsistencies in the complainant's case. It pointed out that while the complaint cited a marriage in 1996, her verification statement mentioned the date as September 1, 1998.
Critically, the magistrate noted that Karuna Munde did not submit any legal marriage documents, such as a registration certificate or other conclusive evidence, to prove her claim of being the first legally wedded wife. "If the complainant is indeed the first legally wedded wife, she should have pursued the matter before the appropriate court," the magistrate observed.
After reviewing all documents, the court concluded that proceeding against the accused would serve no purpose. It held a prima facie view that Dhananjay Munde did not conceal information with the intent to be elected and thereby did not commit an offence punishable under section 125A of the RP Act.
