Directs Police To Conduct Thorough Probe
By Majid Nabi
Srinagar- A local court on Thursday dismissed bail application of Gujarati conman Kiran Jagdish Bhai Patel on the grounds that granting bail to the accused at this stage would ‘undermine’ the integrity of the probe.
Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Srinagar, Raja Mohammad Tasleem while dismissing the bail plea of the imposter asked the police to conduct a thorough investigation in the case again, so as to ascertain what could be the other possible connections of the accused, which can be checked, scanned at the earliest.
“I am of the considered opinion that arguments advanced by Ld. APP are just, proper, appealing and carries more weight and on the other hand, I respectfully disagree with Ld counsel for the applicant because in case at this stage discretion of bail is exercised in favor of the accused, it shall definitely destroy the very fabric of the investigation,” reads the court order, adding “In my considered opinion, the instant application is devoid of any merit which deserves to be rejected.
The CJM Srinagar had on the last date of hearing reserved orders on pail plea moved by the accused (applicant) through his counsel Advocate Mir Tashveeq Gowhar. The accused is presently under the judicial remand at Srinagar Central Jail.
Patel was conferred with Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof SUV and official accommodation at a five-star hotel in Jammu and Kashmir. He was on his third visit to the Kashmir valley and was subsequently nabbed by alert security officials on 3 March.
Besides one case in Srinagar, Patel faces three cases under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery and breach of trust, dating back to 2017 registered against him in police stations in Ahmedabad and Baroda, police said.
Purported videos of Patel surveying the snow slopes of Gulmarg with a posse of armed security personnel around him and of a convoy of vehicles accompanying him weaving through a Valley town have been circulated widely across social media platforms.
He had even visited the last post at Uri in north Kashmir, posing for pictures at a bridge treated as a Line of Control between India and Pakistan.
Counsel for the accused in the plea had submitted that the accused was arrested by the police station Nishat on March 3 2023 without any rhyme or reason. The cases, counsel had said were registered by the police station concerned under concocted, false and frivolous charges.
“The accused is deemed to be innocent until his guilt is proven and in case the desecration of bail is not exercised in favor of the accused, it shall definitely deteriorate the health condition of the accused. Further desecration if exercised in favor of the accused, he shall comply with the directions of the bail and shall not hamper or temper with the prosecution witnesses. Lastly, it is prayed that the accused may be released on bail,” reads the bail plea.
The court on presentation of the instant plea had sought a report from the concerned police station while the Additional Public Prosecutor also submitted detailed objections in this direction. (With PTI inputs)
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