Mangesh Rajaram Pawar v. State Of Maharashtra
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION BAIL APPLICATION NO. 1339 OF 2023 Mangesh Rajaram Pawar ..Applicant VS.
The State of Maharashtra ..Respondent ------------ Adv. Kuldeep Patil i/b. Adv. Saili N. Dhuru for the Applicant. Ms. Veera Shinde, APP for the State.
------------ CORAM : M. S. KARNIK, J.
DATE : AUGUST 22, 2023 P.C. :
1.
Heard learned counsel for the applicant and learned APP for the State.
2.
This is an application for bail in respect of the offence punishable under Sections 420, 465, 468, 471 of the Indian Penal Code (hereafter 'IPC' for short), registered vide First Information Report (FIR) No.I-538/2022 with Saswad Police Station, District - Pune.
3.
The allegation against the applicant is that he projected himself to the victims as an influential person who can secure employment for them with Serum Institute, Pune. The applicant used some printed forged appointment letters collected from co-accused Saddam Jahid Husain who 1/3
runs a xerox center in the premises of S.S.P.M. College, Pune. It is alleged that the applicant duped several gullible persons who wanted to secure employment in Serum Institute and collected a sum of Rs.41,50,000/- from 28 persons. When it came to the light that no person could secure employment in Serum Institute, the FIR came to be registered.
4.
The maximum sentence that could be imposed on the applicant for the offence under Section 420 of the IPC is 7 years of rigorous imprisonment. The applicant was arrested on 20/12/2022 and is in custody for more than 8 months. Even the charge is not framed. Continued incarceration would be nothing but a pre-trial punishment. The investigation is complete and the charge-sheet has been filed. The possibility of the trial commencing any time soon in the near future is remote. There is no likelihood of the applicant absconding. The applicant can be enlarged on bail by imposing conditions. Hence the following order.
O R D E R
(a) The application is allowed.
(b) The applicant-Mangesh Rajaram Pawar in 2/3
connection with FIR No.I-538/2022 with Saswad Police Station, District - Pune, shall be released on bail on his furnishing P.R. Bond of Rs.50,000/- with one or more sureties in the like amount. (c) The applicant shall report to the Investigating OfÏcer of the concerned police station once in a week on every Sunday, between 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
(d) The applicant shall not leave Pune without leave of the trial Court.
(e) The applicant shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing the facts to Court or any Police OfÏcer. The applicant shall not tamper with evidence.
(f) On being released on bail, the applicant shall furnish his contact number and residential address to the Investigating OfÏcer and shall keep him updated, in case there is any change. 5.
The application is disposed of.
(M. S. KARNIK, J.) 3/3