Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
NAIK CASE: ANTICIPATORY BAIL HEARING ON APRIL 27
Ganesh Naik.
G. Mohiuddin Jeddy
NAVI MUMBAI: A day after scheduling the hearing of interim bail application filed by Ganesh Naik in a threat, cheating and Arms Act case on April 27, the Thane Sessions Court, on Friday, also scheduled the hearing for anticipatory bail in the rape case against Naik on the same date.
Naik has not got any relief from the court in both the cases and has now approached the High Court to get the cases against him quashed.
The former minister and BJP MLA from Airoli had made two applications at Thane Sessions Court on Thursday.
A 48-year-old woman claimed to be Naik’s live-in partner for 27 years and that they have a 15-year-old child and that Naik sexually and mentally exploited her between 2010 and 2017. She has also alleged that he threatened to kill her and her child when she insisted that he accept the child in public and give him his rights.
Naik had hence filed for anticipatory bail to avoid arrest in the two cases. The threat case bail application was heard in the court of Judge Rajesh Gupta, who posted it for hearing on April 27 asking for a reply to be filed by the complainant. The rape case judge VY Jadhav had recused himself and the matter was posted in Judge Gupta’s court on Friday. The complainant, too, had asked for Judge Gupta to ensure that there is no contradiction in judgements.
Speaking on the developments in the court on Friday, the woman’s advocate, Lucy Massey, said, “Naik’s local senior advocate filed an additional vakalatnama in court stating that another case hearing had been posted for April 27 and hence the rape case anticipatory bail hearing too be heard on the same day. The court has accepted it.
“There is no protection from arrest given to Naik on Friday either and it was not even asked for. It is for the police now to act as per their investigation. We have decided to file a writ petition in the High Court to conduct a DNA test to prove that the child is indeed that of Naik as my client has stated. ”
Naik has remained incommunicado since the controversy began, not giving any response to the allegations. His advocates were also not available for comment.
Even as the anticipatory bail hearings have been posted for April 27, Naik has filed an application in Bombay High Court on Thursday for quashing the cases against him. The matter has been listed on April 28, as per the High Court website.