Bail of executive of firm floated by Nirav rejected

MUMBAI: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday rejected the interim bail plea of a senior executive of Firestar International – a firm floated by fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi.

The executive, Arjun Patil, had sought interim bail as he was infected with Covid-19. However, the court rejected his plea on the grounds that the state is taking “sincere efforts” to protect the inmates’ health.

Patil was arrested in February 2018 by CBI for his alleged role in preparing applications for fraudulent letters of undertaking (Lous) submitted to Punjab National Bank (PNB).

Patil was shifted to GT Hospital on April 30 for treatment after he was found infected with the virus. His lawyer argued that following the illness, Patil has lost tremendous weight and is suffering from severe weakness, and hence, is unable to take care of himself.

The lawyer further alleged that the chances of him recovering from the weakness are very low as the jail authorities are not taking proper treatment and care of the inmates and there is no proper hygiene in the jail.

The plea was objected by CBI on the grounds that the recommendation/guidelines issued by the state’s high-power committee to release accused on interim bail are not applicable to Patil.

The court, while rejecting the bail plea after considering arguments of both the sides, noted that the state is taking sincere efforts to protect the health of inmates. The court also noted that Patil is being treated at GT Hospital, which is a renowned hospital run by the Maharashtra government.