A day after Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Bombay High Court sharply criticised the Maharashtra government for delaying the arrest of Vikas, the son of Cabinet Minister Bharat Gogawale, the court was informed on Thursday that Vikas and his co-accused had surrendered before the local police in Raigad.

On January 22, the judge had made scathing remarks about the government’s inaction, noting that more than a month had passed since the rioting incident during the Mahad civic polls. He openly questioned the “rule of law” in Maharashtra and asked whether the Chief Minister was “helpless” in dealing with the case.

Facts:

The case arises from a violent clash that took place on December 2, 2025, on polling day for the Mahad Municipal Council. Vikas Gogawale and his cousin Mahesh Gogawale were booked for rioting and assault in connection with the incident. The matter also involves cross-FIRs lodged by supporters of the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). Both Vikas and Mahesh had earlier sought anticipatory bail, but their pleas were rejected by a lower court.

The hearing before Justice Madhav Jamdar was in connection with an anticipatory bail application filed by Shreyansh Jagtap, the son of NCP leader Manikrao Jagtap. During the hearing on January 16, the bench pointed out the police’s lax efforts to trace the Gogawale brothers even after their anticipatory bail applications were rejected on December 23.

When the matter was taken up again on January 22 (yesterday), Justice Jamdar questioned Advocate General Milind Sathe about the timeline for Vikas Gogawale’s arrest. The court was informed that Vikas was still “untraceable” and that efforts were underway to track him. The Advocate General also indicated that if he continued to remain absconding, the police could seek the issuance of a non-bailable warrant (NBW) or initiate proclamation proceedings.

Justice Jamdar further questioned whether the police had examined Cabinet Minister Bharat Gogawale in the case and asked how a person could continue to hold a cabinet post when his son was accused of serious offences and was allegedly evading arrest.

Although the Advocate General sought an adjournment, stating that efforts were ongoing to “connect” with Vikas, the judge agreed to adjourn the matter and directed that it be taken up again today.

Case Details: SHREEYASH MANIK JAGTAP VS. THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA