The Supreme Court granted bail to former Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner Sridhar Vagal, an accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper case.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner Sridhar Vagal, an accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper case involving its kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice RV Raveendran set aside the order of the Bombay High Court rejecting his bail and directed the Special Court, Pune to release him on bail on furnishing a security of Rs2 lakh and two sureties of similar amount.
Vagal, who has been charged with entering into conspiracy with other accused including some other senior Mumbai Police officials, to help Telgi in circulating the counterfeit stamp paper has been in jail since his arrest on November 7, 2003.
The former Joint Commissioner of Police has been chargesheeted under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for allegedly abetting and facilitating the organised crime
syndicate of Telgi.
The Bench while granting bail to Vagal considered that he was in jail for more than three years, which is the maximum period of punishment that could be imposed under section 24 (rendering help or support in commission of the crime) of the MCOCA.
Further, the court took note of the fact that other senior police officers including Vagal's senior RS Sharma, the former Commissioner of Police, Pradeep B Sawant (DCP) and Dattatray Dal, Police Inspector against whom similar allegations were made, have already been released on bail.
"Having regard to the nature of involvement alleged and the role attributed to Vagal, even with section 21 (4) of
MCOCA in view, this is a fit case for grant of bail to him," the Court said.
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