Mumbai, March 25, 2022 – Mr. Rohit Alkunte, a labourer by profession, has been denied bail by the Sessions Court for Greater Mumbai in connection with a case involving charges of kidnapping and robbery. His application for regular bail, Criminal Bail Application No. 647 of 2022, arose from Crime No. 13 of 2022 registered at the V. B. Nagar Police Station.

The applicant, identified as original accused number 4 in the case, sought bail primarily on the grounds of parity with another accused, Sagar Laxman Sahu, who had previously been granted bail by the same court on March 3, 2022, in Bail Application No. 289 of 2022.

Mr. Moin Khan, the learned advocate representing Mr. Alkunte, argued that his client’s alleged role in the crime was similar to that of Mr. Sahu. He pointed out that Mr. Sahu was granted bail based on the observation that there was no involvement of the said accused in the main activities carried out by the named accused, and that his active role was not mentioned.

However, the prosecution, represented by Learned Additional Public Prosecutor (A.P.P.) Mr. J. N. Suryawanshi, strongly opposed the bail application. While acknowledging the initial similarity in the roles mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR), the prosecution argued that further investigation had revealed a more significant involvement of Mr. Alkunte in the alleged offense.

The court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Mr. Purushottam B. Jadhav (Court Room No. 22), carefully considered the arguments from both sides and perused the case records. Judge Jadhav noted that while granting bail to the co-accused Sagar Sahu, the court had observed the lack of his active involvement in the main criminal acts and the absence of any indication of witness tampering.

In contrast, regarding Mr. Alkunte, the court highlighted the findings of the further investigation, which reportedly revealed that the applicant had taken an amount of ₹1,200/- from the bag of a witness named Atib Raees Khan. This discovery suggested a more active role of Mr. Alkunte in the commission of the offense.

Furthermore, the Learned A.P.P. submitted that there was a possibility of Mr. Alkunte tampering with witnesses if released on bail. The court also took into account the serious nature of the offenses involved. Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code carry significant penalties, including imprisonment for life or imprisonment up to ten years.

Considering these factors, Additional Sessions Judge Mr. Jadhav concluded that this was not a fit case for granting bail to Mr. Alkunte. The court opined that releasing him on bail could potentially create obstacles in the ongoing investigation. Consequently, the application for bail was rejected.

ORDER

Bail Application No. 647 of 2022 is rejected and disposed of accordingly.

The order was pronounced and signed by Additional Sessions Judge Mr. Purushottam B. Jadhav at the City Civil & Sessions Court, Greater Mumbai, on March 25, 2022.

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