Court adjourns bail hearing in land record tamper case

Mumbai: A sessions court on Thursday, without granting any relief, adjourned hearing on the anticipatory bail applications (ABA) filed by four persons, including a developer, in connection with a case where a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) clerk has already been arrested for tampering with a noting made by civic chief Ajoy Mehta in a land record file.

The prosecution case is that the tampering came to light when the file was being sent for filing of a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, challenging a high court order directing restoration of the land measuring 13,674 sqm in Majas, Jogeshwari (east), to its original owner. The property is partly encroached by slums.

Mehta, in his remarks on the file, had written, “We should challenge this in the Supreme Court”. Later, however, the remark was found to have been changed to “We shouldn’t challenge…”

The sessions judge adjourned hearing on the applications filed by developer Gyan Shukla, his son Nikhil, relative Prabhakar Shukla, and employee Brahmadev Pandey till Friday.

The  BMC on Thursday filed an intervention application in this matter to oppose the ABAs. Advocate Rizwan Merchant opposed the BMC’s plea saying that as per the SC ruling, the complainant can file an intervention application.

The complainant, Swapnil Puranik, clerk from BMC’s development department, was arrested by the Azad Maidan police in this case on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery. According to the police, names of such applicants cropped up during the investigation who have now filed the ABA.

The police arrested Puranik, taking into consideration the CCTV footages and also the fact that, only he dealt with the concerned file.