Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde Pleads Not Guilty As Sessions Court Frames Charges In 2016 Urdu School Assault Case

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde appeared before the sessions court on Monday in connection with a 2016 case accusing her of assaulting teachers at an Urdu-medium school. The court subsequently framed charges against her, to which she pleaded not guilty. This marks the beginning of the trial, a decade after the incident was reported.

The city mayor faces accusations of entering the BMC-run Urdu-medium school while protesting the transfer of a teacher suffering from cancer. Along with six others, Tawde was booked by the Vakola police for allegedly abusing management staff and assaulting two teachers during the protest.

Prior to her appearance in court, Tawde had missed court dates, resulting in fines. On October 7, she was fined Rs 1,000 for her absence, while a previous fine of Rs 300 was imposed in September for failing to attend proceedings. At the October hearing, the court emphasized that failure to attend further court sessions could lead to the cancellation of her bail and the issuance of a warrant.

Following her initial court appearance, Tawde's lawyer assured the court that she would be present for the next scheduled date. The case has now entered its trial phase after a decade since the initial allegations were made.