Nilesh Rane moves HC in Sawant assault case, hearing on May 12

The Bombay high court will hear former member of Parliament

Nilesh Rane

's bail plea on Thursday. Nilesh had approached the

HC

after the sessions court on May 9, 2016 rejected his anticipatory bail application.

Nilesh, son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, and four others, including his personal assistant Tushar Panchal and bodyguard Manish Singh, have been accused of kidnapping and assaulting Congress activist Sandeep Sawant in Chiplun on April 24. The four accused were sent to magisterial custody.

Nilesh's plea initially came up before vacation judge Justice Pradeep Naik, who recused himself from the matter. Subsequently, advocate Rajendra Shirodkar, counsel for Nilesh, approached the other vacation judge Justice M S Karnik for a hearing. Justice Karnik scheduled the matter for hearing on Thursday, but no interim relief from arrest was granted to Nilesh.

"The police are outside his door," said advocate Shirodkar. In his application, Nilesh denied the allegations and said he was being falsely implicated in the matter. Sawant had claimed that Nilesh was upset at his failure to attend a meeting and had kidnapped him and taken him to their house in Juhu. He was assaulted and beaten in the vehicle. Nilesh said that the reason given for the alleged assault could not be believed. He refuted that Sawant had been kidnapped or beaten up.