Mumbai, August 17, 2022 – Mr. Sanjay Jagannath Dubey, a 46-year-old businessman, has been granted bail by the Sessions Court for Greater Mumbai in connection with a case registered by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) Post. The bail application, Criminal Bail Application No. 1872 of 2022, pertained to an alleged offense under Section 143 of the Railway Act.

According to the prosecution’s case, the applicant was apprehended by an RPF team near LTT Railway Station on suspicion. He was subsequently produced before the Learned Metropolitan Magistrate (Ld. M.M.) Court at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, on June 19, 2022, and had been in judicial custody since then. Following the completion of the investigation, the police filed a charge sheet before the Ld. M.M., 35th Court, CSMT, Mumbai.

Mr. Dubey had previously filed a bail application before the Ld. M.M. Court, which was rejected on July 29, 2022.

Appearing for Mr. Dubey, Learned Advocate Mr. Vijay Agale argued that his client was arrested in connection with Crime No. 514/2022 for a bailable offense under Section 143 of the Railway Act. He submitted that the alleged property seized from the applicant consisted of two filled and three unfilled railway reservation forms, and that nothing further remained to be seized from him. Mr. Agale further contended that since the investigation was complete and the charge sheet had been filed, there was no need for further custodial interrogation of his client, and therefore, bail should be granted.

The prosecution, represented by Learned APP Ms. Ratnavali Patil, opposed the application, arguing that the applicant was a habitual offender and requested the rejection of his bail plea.

However, His Honour the Additional Sessions Judge, Shri A.A. Kulkarni (C.R. No. 24), after hearing the submissions from both sides and perusing the documents on record, noted that the offense under Section 143 of the Railway Act is indeed a bailable offense. The court also acknowledged that the investigation was complete, the charge sheet had been filed, and nothing remained to be seized from the applicant.

Based on these observations, Judge Kulkarni concluded that further custodial interrogation of the applicant was not required and that he was entitled to be released on bail.

Consequently, the court passed the following order:

ORDER

1. Criminal Bail Application No. 1872 of 2022 is allowed.
2. Applicant/accused Mr. Sanjay Jagannath Dubey shall be released on bail upon furnishing a Personal Recognizance (P.R.) Bond of ₹25,000/- (Rupees Twenty-Five Thousand Only) along with one or two sureties of a like amount each in connection with C.R. No. 514/2022 registered with RPF LTT Post, Mumbai.
3. Applicant/accused shall attend RPF LTT Post, Mumbai, upon receiving notice from the Investigating Officer.
4. Applicant/accused shall furnish his residential address proof and contact numbers to the Investigating Officer.
5. Applicant/accused shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat, or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or to any Police Officer.
6. Applicant/accused shall not leave India without the previous permission of the Court.
7. Bail shall be furnished before the Learned Court below.
8. Criminal Bail Application No. 1872 of 2022 stands disposed of accordingly.

The order was dictated and pronounced in open court by Additional Sessions Judge Shri A.A. Kulkarni on August 17, 2022.

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