Bombay HC To Hear In-Chamber Judge’s Pre-Arrest Bail Plea In Bribery Case

Mumbai: So, here’s the scoop. Dhananjay Nikam, a District and Sessions Judge from Satara, is in a bit of hot water. He’s asked the Bombay High Court for pre-arrest bail after the State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) accused him of asking for a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to grant bail in a cheating case. Justice NR Borkar is set to hear this case in-chamber on January 15 since it involves a judicial officer.

Nikam, through his lawyer Viresh Purvant, is claiming he’s innocent and that he’s been wrongly accused. His plea points out that the FIR doesn’t show any direct demand or acceptance of money from him. He also mentioned that he had no clue about any meetings between the complainant and the other accused, nor did he know the complainant was connected to the accused who wanted bail. Plus, he was on leave during the key dates, which raises some questions about the allegations.

This whole mess started when a 24-year-old woman, whose dad is a civilian defense employee, complained. He’s in custody for allegedly cheating someone by promising a government job. After a lower court turned down his bail, the woman filed a new bail application in Nikam’s court. The ACB claims that two guys, Kishor Sambhaji Kharat from Mumbai and Anand Mohan Kharat from Satara, asked the woman for Rs 5 lakh at Nikam’s request to get a favorable order.

The ACB says they confirmed the bribe demand during their investigation from December 3 to 9, showing that Nikam was in cahoots with the Kharats. They’ve charged Nikam, the Kharats, and an unidentified person under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Nikam’s plea insists he didn’t dodge the bail application hearing or promise any favorable outcomes. He also pointed out that no bail orders were made during the time in question. The investigation is still ongoing, so we’ll have to see how this unfolds.