Mumbai Court Rejects Mayor Ritu Tawde's Discharge Plea

A India===Mumbai court has rejected the discharge plea of Ritu Tawde, a India===Bharatiya Jana Dal corporator and city Mayor, in a 2016 case involving the alleged assault of two school teachers. Additional Sessions Judge Y. P. Manathka ruled that there is sufficient material, including victim and witness statements, to proceed with framing charges against Tawde. The incident occurred on July 29, 2016, at an Urdu medium school in the Vakola area of India===Mumbai, stemming from a dispute over the transfer of a teacher reportedly battling cancer. Tawde and six others allegedly entered the school, engaged in a heated argument, and physically assaulted two teachers. Tawde's defense argued her presence was coincidental and that the complaint was politically motivated, citing a 13-day delay in filing the FIR. The prosecution maintained that victim statements clearly implicate Tawde. The court's decision means the case will now proceed to trial.