The Bombay High Court refused to give anticipatory bail to four corporators from neighbouring Thane district accused of abetting the suicide of builder Suraj Parmar, and directed them to surrender on Saturday.
The four corporators – Vikrant Chavan (Congress), Najib Mulla, Hanumant Jagdale (both NCP) and Sudhakar Chavan (independent) — withdrew their petitions after being denied relief by Justice Ajey Gadkari and sought time to surrender before police.
“Considering the enormity and gravity of the offence and the allegations levelled against the four applicants (corporators), their anticipatory bail pleas are rejected,” Justice Gadkari said.
The court asked the four accused if they would surrender or approach the Supreme Court to challenge the HC’s order.
During the afternoon session, senior counsel Shirish Gupte, appearing for the four corporators, sought withdrawal of the anticipatory bail petitions and some time to surrender.
The court then allowed the accused to withdraw the petitions and directed them to surrender before the concerned police in Thane on December 5.
The four corporators had approached the high court in November seeking pre-arrest bail after a sessions court in Thane rejected their plea for the same.
The high court had on November 3 granted the four interim protection from arrest and posted their petitions for final hearing.
Parmar, a leading builder, had shot himself on October 7.
His suicide note alleged that a nexus of corporators and officials was harassing him for bribes.
Thane Police had registered a case of abetment of suicide under the IPC and ‘criminal misconduct’ under the Prevention of Corruption Act as the suicide note allegedly named these four corporators.
Public prosecutor Raja Thakare, while opposing the bail pleas, told the court that the police needs custodial interrogation of the four accused to ascertain financial transactions.
Thakare also told the court that one of the accused had transferred over Rs. one crore to the account of an NCP MLA and all this needs to be thoroughly probed.
