Vishwas Ramesh Pandit v. The State Of Maharashtra

2026:BHC-AUG:2109 :: 1 ::

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF BOMBAY

BENCH AT AURANGABAD BAIL APPLICATION NO.2436 OF 2025 Vishwas Ramesh Pandit ... APPLICANT

VERSUS

The State of Maharashtra ... RESPONDENT .......

Mr. A.B. Chormal, Advocate for applicant Ms R.R. Tandale, A.P.P. for respondent - State .......

CORAM : SACHIN S. DESHMUKH, J.

DATE : 19th JANUARY, 2026 PER COURT :

1.

The applicant seeks release on regular bail in connection with Crime No.0269/2025, registered with Sonai Police Station, District Ahilyanagar for the offence punishable under Section 309(6), 310(2) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. 2.

The prosecution case is that, on 16/7/2025, the informant was proceeding from Waluj for his village Mahalaxmi

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Hivare. He came to Ghodegaon by private vehicle and from where, he was intending to proceed to Mahalaxmi Hivare, at about 10.00 p.m., when he was at Rohan Petrol Pump, one person approached and inquired as to where he wanted to go. He replied that he has to go to village Chanda. The said person told him that he has Swift Dezire Car and he is proceeding to Kukana. The car came and stopped near the informant. Two persons were already sitting on front seats and one person was on rear seat and one person was standing near the informant and eventually proceeded by car.

3.

It is further averred that, the informant asked the driver to stop the car at Chanda stand as his son was waiting there, but the driver moved the car in high speed and did not stop at Chanda and made the volume of the tape high. The person who was sitting on back seat took out a knife and demanded cash and mobile from the informant. The car was stopped at Kautha Shivar by the side of a Canal near bridge. The informant was pulled outside the car and the said persons assaulted the informant by fist blows and snatched cash amount of Rs.8700/- from wallet and Mobile phone from the informant on the point of knife. There were Aadhar Card,

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Election Card, PAN Card, two ATM Cards in the Wallet and two SIM Cards in the Samsung Mobile.

4.

Learned counsel for the applicant submits that, the applicant has been falsely implicated in the crime. There is unexplained delay in lodging the report. Charge sheet has been filed and there is nothing to be recovered from the applicant. 5.

Per contra, learned A.P.P. opposed the application, contending that this is a serious crime and valuable documents including ATM Cards and Mobile phone containing two SIM Cards and cash amount have been snatched from the informant. 6.

Having heard the submissions from both the sides and upon perusal of the record, indicates that initially the F.I.R. was lodged against unknown persons. The applicant came to be arraigned as accused during investigation based on a CCTV footage. Except that, there is no material against the applicant. 7.

Pertinently, the CCTV footage indicates the presence of the applicant in the car along with other co-accused, however, the reliability and veracity of the CCTV footage can be dealt into during the trial. As such, the same cannot be relied upon as a sole basis,

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at this stage, to withhold the liberty of the applicant. 8.

As such, nothing is to be recovered from the applicant. Nevertheless, the investigation is complete for all intents and purposes. Therefore, in my considered opinion, indefinite incarceration of the applicant is unjustified. Thus, the application warrants consideration, and accordingly, the discretion deserves to be exercised in favour of the applicant.

9.

Hence the order :

O R D E R

(i) Bail Application is allowed.

(ii) The applicant Vishwas Ramesh Pandit be released on bail on furnishing P.B. and S.B. of Rs.50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand) with one solvent surety of the like amount in the above crime, on the conditions that :

(a) The applicant shall not tamper with the prosecution witnesses.

(b) The applicant shall remain present on each date, unless exempted by the trial Court.

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(iii) Needless to state that, nothing stated hereinabove shall be construed as an expression on merits of the case. Learned Trial Court shall proceed independently and uninfluenced by the observations made hereinabove. (SACHIN S. DESHMUKH, J.) fmp/-