The Bombay High Court has begun hearing a series of petitions filed by Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey and several investigators seeking the withdrawal of two cases registered against them at police stations in Mumbai and Thane.
I case against Pandey it was filed on the complaint of businessman Sanjay Punamiya, who accused him of criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, fraud, cheating and producing false evidence.
The charges stemmed from a dispute between two builders, Shyamsunder Agarwal and Sanjay Punamiya. Allegations and contradictory allegations have been exchanged between the two, leading to legal battles. During the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Punamiya was arrested, and Pandey headed the Mumbai police.
After the change of government in the BJP-backed Eknath Shinde administration, Punamiya filed two FIRs against Agarwal and others. One of the fires, registered in Thane, called Pandey and other police officials. The Colaba FIR involves Special Public Prosecutor (SSP) Shekhar Jagtap and an official of the department, who also came to the court for help.
Jagtap’s lawyers Ravi Kadam and Sairuchita Chowdhary argued that, as SPP, he was acting within the scope of his appointment and that no crime was involved. They insisted that he had previously disclosed his advocacy of Agarwal to the government before accepting the SPP role.
A bench of justices Bharti Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande questioned the compensability of the cheating cases against Jagtap and whether there was any loss incurred by the state government. Additional Public Prosecutor Mankuwar Deshmukh maintained that there was actual loss, while Jagtap’s lawyers argued that he did not receive payment for his work as an SPP.
Punamiya’s legal representative opposed the dismissal pleas, citing video evidence allegedly suggesting that police were ordered during the MVA to target BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde.
The Supreme Court is expected to continue hearing the case this week, arguing with Pandey’s lawyer, the department’s lawyer and the lawyers representing the police.
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