Naresh Chaddi case: Court rejects anticipatory bail for accused trio

Naresh Asandas Pahalajani alias Naresh Chaddi was killed in 2016; Former Congress corporator Godhumal Kishnani, his son Praveen (in pictures) and Ravi Valecha are accused in the case

The Kalyan sessions court rejected the anticipatory bail application of former corporator of Congress Godhumal Kishnani, his son Praveen, and Ravi Valecha on Monday. The trio is accused of killing gangster Naresh Asandas Pahalajani alias Naresh Chaddi in 2016 and the murder case was registered at Khadakpada police station in Thane last year in February, after much hue and cry.

Brother seeks action
Raju Pahalajani, the elder brother of the slain gangster, said that the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Dombivli division) JD More must arrest the trio immediately. "Since the bail application of the accused trio has been rejected by the court, Investigating Officer ACP More must swing into action to arrest them. The delay in police action will directly benefit the accused because they will approach the High Court to seek relief," Raju told mid-day.

ACP More replaced his Kalyan division counterpart ACP Anil Powar last year after a court directive, as a relative of the slain gangster had requested a change in the investigating officer. The relative claimed ACP Powar was allegedly favouring the accused by filing a closure report in the sensitive murder case without conducting any enquiry into the matter.

IO tight-lipped
When mid-day approached ACP More to know if they are taking quick action to arrest the accused trio in the case, he said, "I cannot reveal the line of our investigation."

The relatives of the slain gangster had filed a protest petition against the C-summary report filed by ACP Powar on November 26. "After the Kalyan court rejected the C-summary report in December, the trio accused approached it again to seek interim relief," said Raju.

Senior advocate Harshad Ponda appeared for Kishnani and his son, whereas advocate Kabul Singh Labana represented Valecha in the court of additional sessions judge KD Jadhav. Public prosecutor Rachna Bhoir argued in the court and the intervention was made by Raju's counsel advocate Deepak Mishra. After hearing both the sides, the court rejected the bail application.

"We submitted the written argument in the court and the final hearing in the matter took place on March 9 but the order was kept reserved for March 22. The court rejected the bail application today (March 22)," Raju said.