Somaiya and Neil skip summons, file for bail

MUMBAI: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil skipped summons issued by the police in connection with a cheating case against them for allegedly misappropriating over ₹57 crore collected to save aircraft carrier INS Vikrant from being scrapped.

Apprehending arrest in the case, the father-son duo has moved the Mumbai sessions court for anticipatory bail. Their plea is slated to come up for hearing on Monday, April 11. Their lawyer, advocate Hrishikesh Mundargi, said they are seeking pre-arrest bail primarily contending that the allegations levelled against the BJP leader and his son are frivolous and baseless.

Amid a war of words between former allies Shiv Sena and BJP over the crowdfunding drive to save INS Vikrant, the Trombay police on Wednesday night registered an FIR against Somaiya and Neil for allegedly siphoning off over ₹57 crore collected through the campaign to save the country’s first aircraft carrier from being scrapped and convert the decommissioned vessel into a museum.

“The case has been registered under section 420 [cheating and dishonesty including delivery of property] and 406 [punishment for criminal breach of trust] and 34 [common intentions] of the Indian Penal Code based on the complaint filed by an ex-military officer,” an officer of Trombay police station said.

The officer added that BJP’s former MP from Mumbai NorthEast collected the donation but did not deposit it with the Maharashtra Raj Bhavan.

Somaiya has denied the allegations and said that he was ready to face any action.

“No scam has taken place, not even worth a rupee in Vikrant fund collection. I have not done anything wrong. Raut (Sena MP Sanjay Raut) has been levelling allegations but has not given proof to substantiate them. I am ready to face the investigation,” he had said while speaking to the media on Thursday.

Commissioned in 1961, INS Vikrant, a Majestic-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, had played a key role in enforcing the naval blockade of East Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

It was decommissioned in 1997.

There was a demand to convert the warship into a museum. But in January 2014, the ship was sold through an online auction and scrapped in November that year.

THE FATHER-SON DUO’S PRE-ARREST BAIL PLEA IS SLATED TO COME UP FOR HEARING ON MONDAY

HT FILE PHOTO BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and Neil