PANAJI
The High Court has granted anticipatory bail to Krishnakant Chodankar, a panch of the Salvador do Mundo panchayat who was booked in a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly accepting a bribe of 18 lakh in order to process a construction licence.
The High Court, while granting bail upon a bond of Rs 25,000 to Chodankar, noted how the complaint was filed three months after the bribe was allegedly paid and how, the construction licence was rejected two times for want of a conversion sanad and was granted a third time after the conversion sanad was attached along with the application.
“Since the complaint is lodged after around three months time and that too without explaining such delay, the contention of the investigating agency of custodial interrogation cannot be accepted. The Applicant is a permanent resident...He is [an] elected representative from the ward of Salvador do Mundo Panchayat, having deep roots in the locality, and there is no fear of absconding...I am inclined to grant bail to the Applicant in the event of his arrest under Crime No. 100/2023 registered at Porvorim Police Station,” High Court single bench Justice Bharat Deshpande ruled.
Chodankar approached the High Court apprehending arrest in Crime No. 100/2023 for the offences punishable under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 506(ii) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC).
In his application, Chodankar claimed he was likely to be arrested because he along with other panchas moved a motion of no confidence against the sitting sarpanch and no sooner “started receiving calls from Porvorim Police Station at the behest of Deputy Superintendent of Police that there are complaints against the Applicant and others, only to pressurise them from withdrawing the No Confidence Motion.”
“However, on 29.08.2023, a false and fabricated FIR was lodged against the Applicant at the behest of local MLA,” Chodankar told the Court.
