Court acquits woman in bonded labour case

A local court acquitted a woman in a 2011 bonded labour case due to lack of evidence.
The Sessions Judge A S Waghwase ,in the judgement delivered recently said , the prosecution failed to prove charges levelled against the 51-year-old woman and hence she was acquitted giving her the benefit of doubt.
The prosecution in its submission to the court said the woman, Yashoda Ramesh Bhoir, owner of a brick kiln in Bamnani Pada area of Thane had engaged labourers, including Ramdas Shankar Valvi to work at the kiln.
All the labourers were paid a sum of Rs 300 to Rs 400 a week. Labourer Ramdas in 2011 had borrowed Rs 5,000 from the accused, who in lieu of it, practised bonded labour against Valvi, prosecution told the court.

Based on a complaint, an enquiry was conducted by the Labour department and the woman was tried under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, on basis of the enquiry report in December 2011, prosecution said.
The prosecution said while Ramdas was working as a bonded labour, he fell ill and he died on December 11, 2011. Since, he belonged to Hindu Katkari, which is recognised as a Scheduled Tribe, an offence was also registered under SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The judge, in the order observed that during investigation, the labour officer did not collect proper documents of the ownership of brick kiln and it was revealed that labourers including Ramdas, were working on weekly payment basis.

The court also observed that prosecution has not brought any cogent and reliable evidence about advance paid by accused to the deceased and that there was forced extraction of work towards any debt.