Mumbai, Maharashtra – A Special Judge constituted under the Prevention of Corruption Act for Greater Mumbai has granted bail to Kiransingh Ashoksingh Patil, an engineer with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), who was implicated in a corruption case. The order, issued by Special Judge A. S. Bhagwat on August 7, 2018, allows Patil to be released on bail with certain conditions.

Patil had filed Bail Application No. 522/2018 in connection with C.R. No. 29/2018, registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Mumbai.

During the hearing, Ld. Adv. Mrs. Meera Barge, representing the applicant, argued that Kiransingh Ashoksingh Patil was falsely implicated in the offense. She emphasized that the accused is a resident of Mumbai and an engineer with the MCGM, indicating no likelihood of him absconding from justice.

Conversely, Ld. APP Mr. Soshte, appearing for the State/Respondent, opposed the bail application. He contended that there was a strong possibility of the accused tampering with witnesses and that further investigation in the case was still pending. Therefore, he requested the rejection of the bail application.

Special Judge A. S. Bhagwat, after considering both arguments and reviewing the case, noted that the court had previously rejected the police custody remand (PCR) demand of the Investigating Officer (I.O.) and had instead sent the accused to magisterial custody remand (MCR). The court also noted that the voice sample of the accused had already been obtained.

The Judge observed that “further investigation can be carried out if the accused directed to remain present before the I.O. for certain period. Further the I.O. can also investigate with the accused during such presence. For that reasons only bail can not be denied.” The court concluded that under these circumstances, the accused could be enlarged on bail by imposing appropriate conditions.

Accordingly, the Special Judge issued the following order:

• Bail Amount: Kiransingh Ashoksingh Patil is to be released on executing a Personal Bond (P.B.) and Surety Bond (S.B.) of ₹25,000/- each, with one surety in the like amount.
• Provisional Cash Bail: At the request of the defense counsel, provisional cash bail of ₹25,000/- was granted for a period of six weeks, allowing for his immediate release. The Registrar was directed to accept this amount.
• No Tampering: The accused is strictly prohibited from tampering with prosecution witnesses in any manner.
• Travel Restriction: He shall not leave India without the prior permission of the court.
• Cooperation with Investigation: The accused is directed to remain present before the Investigating Officer for further investigation on every Saturday and Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. until the chargesheet is filed.

The bail application, No. 522/2018, was thus disposed of. This decision indicates the court’s balance between allowing the investigation to proceed and protecting the liberty of the accused, particularly when direct physical custody is not deemed strictly necessary for ongoing inquiries.