Mumbai, February 21, 2024 – Guruprasad Shivnath Gosavi, a 31-year-old businessman, has been granted bail by the City Civil and Sessions Court at Greater Bombay in connection with an alleged fraud involving cattle feed. The order, issued by Additional Sessions Judge N.P. Tribhuwan in Court Room No. 23, pertains to Criminal Bail Application No. 430 of 2024.

Gosavi was arrested in connection with Crime No. 906/2022, registered at Pydhonie Police Station, for offenses punishable under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker, merchant, or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing¹ delivery of property), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal² Code.

The complainant, Rajesh Jamnadas Thakkar, who runs a cattle feed business, alleged that he appointed approximately 40 agents to distribute his products. Among them were Dhanji Lakhmai Thakkar and his son Bipin Dhanji Thakkar, who had been agents for 15 years. The complainant claimed that Bipin Thakkar received cattle feed worth ₹24,59,168 between June 2019 and January 2020, which he allegedly supplied to Maharaja Dairy Farm, Lucky Dairy Farm, and Mustaq Firoj. However, when the complainant inquired about the payment, he was told by these businesses that they had already paid Bipin Thakkar.

According to the prosecution, during the investigation, it was revealed that Guruprasad Gosavi and Riten Dinesh Dube were also involved in the alleged fraud, acting in furtherance of a common intention with Bipin Thakkar. Gosavi claimed he had paid the due amount to Bipin Thakkar, but Bipin denied receiving it. The prosecution also suggested that the accused might have cheated other individuals in a similar manner.

Gosavi’s advocate, Satish Mishra, argued that his client was arrested on February 5, 2024, and had been thoroughly interrogated. He emphasized that nothing was recoverable from Gosavi and that he had been falsely implicated to extort money from him. Mishra contended that Gosavi had no role in the alleged crime and was implicated solely based on accusations from the main accused.

Judge Tribhuwan, after hearing arguments from both sides and reviewing the case documents, noted that the offense under Section 409 of the IPC pertains to criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker, merchant, or agent, and Gosavi did not fall under any of these categories. He also observed that the case appeared to be primarily a matter of sale and purchase of cattle feed, for which payment had not been made.

Considering that Gosavi had been in custody since February 5, 2024, that the evidence was primarily documentary, and that he had no prior criminal record, the court granted him bail under the following conditions:

• He must execute a Personal Bond of ₹15,000 with one or more sureties of the same amount.
• He is prohibited from tampering with prosecution witnesses.
• He must cooperate with the investigation and be available for interrogation when required.
• He is prohibited from misusing his liberty.
• He must provide his detailed address and mobile number to the investigating officer and the concerned court, and inform them of any changes.
• Bail is to be executed before the learned trial court.

This decision highlights the court’s consideration of the specific allegations against Gosavi, the progress of the investigation, and the need to balance individual liberty with the prevention of potential fraud. The court’s imposition of conditions underscores its commitment to ensuring Gosavi’s cooperation with the ongoing investigation and trial.