Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], August 11 (ANI): A Nagpur court granted bail to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in a case registered in connection with a Congress protest held at Samvidhan Square in 2017.

Chavan and Vikhe Patil personally appeared before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court and moved their bail applications on Monday. After considering the submissions, Judge N N Chintamani allowed the applications and granted them bail on a cash payment of Rs 5,000 each and a personal bond of Rs 15,000 each.

The case dates back to September 26, 2017, when the Congress organised a protest at Samvidhan Square against the rising prices of essential commodities, including fuel and cooking gas.

According to police, after speeches by senior leaders concluded and a party delegation left to submit a memorandum to the administration, around 50 to 70 protesters allegedly violated the conditions of the protest permission and moved towards the main entrance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Police alleged that some protesters entered into a scuffle with personnel while attempting to enter the RBI premises. Some allegedly climbed the iron gate, while others staged a sit-in on the road, disrupting traffic. The protesters also raised slogans against the Central and state governments and allegedly burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Sadar Police had registered a case against six Congress leaders -- Prithviraj Chavan, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, MLA Vikas Thakre, Maharashtra Congress secretary Umakant Agnihotri, former corporator Prashant Dhawad and Pragya Badwaik.

The accused were booked under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (offence committed in prosecution of common object), 341 (wrongful restraint), 332 (causing hurt to deter a public servant from duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.

Police subsequently filed a chargesheet before the court. (ANI)