Mumbai, Maharashtra – August 4, 2022 – Anand Natha Khandare @ Andaya, accused in a robbery case, has been granted bail by the Sessions Court for Greater Bombay. Additional Sessions Judge C.V. Patil (Court Room No. 27) allowed Criminal Bail Application No. 1610 of 2022, related to C.R. No. 663 of 2022 registered with Khar Police Station.

Khandare was arrested and charged under Section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Case Background:

The prosecution alleged that the complainant was walking on the road when Khandare, riding a bicycle, stopped him, assaulted him, and snatched his diary and ₹5,000. Khandare was subsequently apprehended and arrested by the police.

Arguments and Court’s Reasoning:

The prosecution opposed the bail application, citing Khandare’s criminal antecedents and expressing concerns that he would commit similar offenses and threaten witnesses if released. They also submitted a report stating that the stolen amount had been recovered.

Khandare’s counsel, Adv. Archana Singh, argued that the investigation was complete, and the recovery had been made. She emphasized that the offense was triable by a Magistrate Court and that Khandare had been in custody since January 1, 2022.

The court noted that Khandare had been in police custody remand until June 17, 2022, and subsequently placed in judicial custody. The court also acknowledged the prosecution’s concerns regarding Khandare’s criminal antecedents, which included four prior cases registered under various sections of the IPC and one case under the NDPS Act.

“Apart from that the prosecution has shown criminal antecedents but offence is yet to be proved. Here in the case in hand from last 01/01/2022 the accused is behind bar, already recovery is completed and therefore except the ground of criminal antecedents the other grounds raised by prosecution those can be secured by imposing necessary conditions on accused,” Judge Patil stated.

Bail Conditions:

Judge Patil granted bail to Anand Natha Khandare @ Andaya on the following conditions:

• Execution of a personal bond of ₹15,000 with a surety of the same amount.
• Prohibition from tampering with prosecution evidence.
• Submission of ID proof, registered address, and phone number to the trial court/investigating officer.

The certified copy of the judgment was issued on August 5, 2022. This decision highlights the court’s consideration of the completion of the investigation, the recovery of the stolen property, and the duration of Khandare’s custody, despite his criminal antecedents. The court opted to impose conditions to address the prosecution’s concerns rather than denying bail outright.