Hema Upadhyay murder case: Chintan approaches Bombay High Court for bail

Artist Chintan Upadhyay, arrested in connection with the murder of his estranged wife Hema and her lawyer Haresh Bhambhani, has approached Bombay High Court seeking bail on the ground that he was falsely implicated.

Chintan filed the bail plea recently in the high court after a sessions court rejected his application for the same last month while referring to the murders as an "act of hate", and cited the possibility of Chintan fleeing from justice if he is let off on bail.

Mumbai-based artist Hema and Bhambani were killed on December 11 last year and their bodies disposed of in cardboard boxes that were thrown into a ditch in suburban Kandivali.

Prime accused Vidyadhar Rajbhar has been absconding since then, while Chintan was arrested soon after on suspicion of being the alleged mastermind behind the conspiracy to eliminate his estranged wife. 

Chintan in his bail plea claimed that he has been falsely implicated in the case. He also said that investigations in the case were over and chargesheet has also been filed, hence his custody is not required. The bail plea will come up for hearing tomorrow before Justice NW Sambre.

In its charge sheet, the police claimed that even the murder of Bhambhani was premeditated as he represented Hema in all her cases and Chintan wanted to finish them both.

The charge sheet also relied heavily on call data records, and said that it was Chintan who had called up his servant Pradeep Rajbhar to confirm if the murder had been committed. The charge sheet also relied on Pradeep's account of Chintan's involvement.

Apart from Chintan, the others arrested in the case include Pradeep Rajbhar and Shivkumar Rajbhar.