HC grants anticipatory bail to BMC engineer in pay and park case

The Bombay High Court has granted pre-arrest bail to a civic sub-engineer, accused in a Rs 3 crore 'pay and park scam', observing that prima facie he has been made a "scapegoat" in the case.

Justice Ajey Gadkari last week allowed the anticipatory bail plea filed by Milan Mehta, claiming that he was falsely implicated in the case.

Mehta was entrusted with the work of contracts for payments and parking of vehicles. According to police, despite the fact that cheques issued by contractors were dishonoured and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) did not get its revenue, Mehta continued to extend their tenders from time to time, thereby causing a loss of up to Rs 3.84 crore to the public exchequer.

The court, however, noted that the basic process of tender was initiated under the signature of Assistant Commissioner of 'A' Ward of the corporation. "In the hierarchy of officers of the corporation, the applicant (Mehta) is the lowermost officer, being a sub-engineer, and it prima facie appears that with a view to make him a scapegoat, the applicant has been implicated in the crime," the court said.

"The higher officers (of the civic body) cannot be permitted to shrug off their responsibilities and put the entire burden of the said mismanagement/defalcation on the applicant, who is the lowermost officer in rank in the BMC's hierarchy," the court said.