PANAJI
A criminal lawyer, held in a Court theft case, has been granted conditional bail by the Panaji Additional Sessions Court, 26 days after his arrest.
Mujahidin Shaikh is accused of decamping with the muddemal properties from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) building at Altinho on the night of January 31.
The case came as a rude shock as the theft exposed loopholes in the security system in and around the highly protected campus.
During the bail hearing, the 31-year-old, represented by Advocate K Poulekar argued that Shaikh’s custody till date was sufficient to thoroughly investigate the crime.
“A person is deemed innocent until proven guilty. He is yet to be charged, tried and held guilty. At this stage his further incarnation in jail would be punishing him at the pre-trial stage…” the counsel said.
The prosecution submitted that one envelope containing around Rs 500 is yet to be recovered at the instance of the accused. The accused lawyer, practicing in Sattari Courts had conducted a recce of the Court building and the security arrangements four days before striking the evidence room.
Additional Sessions Judge Cholu Gauns, in his order, observed that prosecution has already found the motive behind the crime being wrongful gain and the accused was in 15 days police custody. “These 15 days were sufficient for the Investigating Officer to find out the motive behind the crime,” he said while allowing the bail application.
Shaikh is asked to fulfill conditions such as furnishing a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety in like amount, for the release. He is also directed not to leave India without prior permission of this court, and not to tamper with the witnesses and evidence.
