PANAJI
The Court of the Additional Sessions Judge-1 at Merces on Friday granted bail to Siddiqui alias Suleman Khan in the alleged land-grabbing of ancestral properties in Tiswadi, observing that forensic evidence did not conclusively link him to the alleged forgery of sale deeds.
Additional Sessions Judge-1, Bosco Roberts, observed that a recent report submitted by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) failed to establish that Khan had forged the three disputed sale deeds central to the prosecution’s case.
“The CFSL report makes it apparent that Accused No.1 cannot be said to be the one who had forged the three sale deeds,” the court noted while allowing the bail plea.
Khan has been in judicial custody since November 2024 after being arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with the alleged illegal acquisition of over 2.16 lakh sq mtrs of land through forged documents.
The prosecution had opposed the bail application, arguing that Khan had criminal antecedents and had earlier absconded during the investigation. It also alleged that he had destroyed counterfeit seals used in the preparation of forged documents.
However, the court held that there was no material on record to substantiate the allegation.
The court further observed that criminal antecedents alone could not be a ground to deny bail and reiterated that the accused was entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty during trial.
The defence led by Advocates Nitin Sardessai and Sahil Sardessai, argued that the dispute revolved around the validity of title documents dating back nearly three decades and contended that the matter substantially fell within the civil domain. The court took note of the submission while considering the bail application.
Allowing the plea, the court directed Khan’s release on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the like amount, among other conditions.
