The sessions court rejected the bail application of the suspended chief of Mumbai Central Prison (also known as Arthur Road jail) Vasudev Burkule, arrested for demanding a bribe from a jail officer to pass him in an examination.
This is the second time the court has refused bail to Burkule. He had been denied bail last month too.
Burkule had sought bail on the ground that investigation was over and police no longer needed his custody.
However Public Prosecutor Jaisingh Desai argued that many more people were coming forward with the complaint that Burkule had demanded bribe from them.
Desai also argued that the investigation was not yet complete. Accepting his argument, the court rejected Burkule’s bail plea.
On April 16, the Anti-corruption Bureau laid a trap and arrested Burkule and his deputy Pradeep Pathrikar from central prison police officials’ residential colony in south Mumbai.
Pathrikar was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 35,000 of the total Rs 40,000 that had been demanded, whereas Burkule was apprehended as his deputy was taking the bribe on his behalf.
According to the ACB, the complainant, a jail officer, had appeared for the Maharashtra Prison Manual examination on March 25. The answer sheet was checked by Burkule.
Pathrikar allegedly told the officer that he had not scored enough in the examination, but the marks could be increased on payment of Rs 40,000.
