Aniksha gets bail; asked to give passport to cops
MUMBAI: A special court on Monday granted bail to Aniksha Jaisinghani, daughter of bookie Anil Jaisinghani, who was arrested on charges of trying to bribe and blackmail deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta Fadnavis.
Aniksha was ordered to be released from jail on a personal bond of ₹50,000 and one or two sureties in the same amount. The court has asked her to deposit her passport with the police and to not influence witnesses, or tamper with the evidence.
On Friday, the 25-year-old woman filed her bail petition through advocate Manan Sanghai in the special court set up under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Aniksha had claimed that the FIR registered against her was based on “concocted and fictitious facts” to falsely implicate her.
The plea also said that her arrest was in violation of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and the investigating officer had failed to give reasons for her arrest and particulars of her non-cooperation as alleged by the prosecution.
However, special public prosecutor Ajay Misar said on Monday that Aniksha had told the complainant (Amruta Fadnavis) that her father had political connections, and threatened to leak the videos and messages, which were purportedly exchanged between the two, to opposition leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, and to ‘Modiji’.
Misar read out the alleged messages sent by Aniksha to the complainant where she had said that Anil was angry with Amruta Fadnavis after she blocked them. The court should consider the background of the accused and the fact that her father had 14 cases registered against him, the prosecutor said.
The defence counsel, however, pointed out that the complainant had met Aniksha thrice at a five-star hotel even after a case was registered. Sanghai also questioned the applicability of charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, as Amruta Fadnavis is not a public servant.
After hearing both sides, the special judge granted bail to Aniksha. A detailed order will be made available later.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Anil and his cousin Nirmal were produced before the court after their police custody ended. The prosecution sought their further custody for four to five days but the defence contended that Anil feared for his life if he was sent to police remand. His lawyer Sanghai also alleged that Anil was subjected to humiliation.
Besides, the defence claimed that the mobile number that the prosecution alleged to have been used to send extortion messages to Amruta Fadnavis was activated only after Anil was arrested on March 19 and was deactivated after he was produced before the court three days later, on March 22.
Misar responded that the phone was activated on February 22, more than a month before his arrest.
Anil also alleged that he was being threatened that his son too would be implicated in the case, and the whereabouts of his son had remained unknown for the last seven days.
Anil in judicial custody
The court accepted the defence arguments and remanded the two in judicial custody for 14 days. Soon after, their lawyer moved bail pleas. The prosecution has been asked to file a reply to them by Tuesday, the next date of hearing.