The Bombay High Court today quashed a cheating case registered against a self-styled godman for duping an elderly woman and imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 on him.
A division bench of Justices N H Patil and V L Achiliya was hearing a petition filed by Sayed Rehman Ali alias Tantrik Baba seeking for the FIR lodged against him in November 2013 to be quashed as he has arrived at a settlement with the complainant.
According to the petition, Ali, who is accused of duping the complainant and her daughter of Rs 75,000 in cash and gold ornaments, has already compensated them with Rs two lakh.
The high court quashed the case, but directed the accused to deposit Rs 10,000 to the police welfare fund.
"After the complaint was filed, the police spent time investigating the case and a team had even gone to Uttar Pradesh to trace the accused. As compensation for the time spent by the police, we direct the accused to pay Rs 10,000," the court ordered.
According to the police, the accused had from January 2013 to March 2013 duped the complainant under the pretext of performing magic by which the complainant's daughter would get a suitable marriage proposal.
The high court, while quashing the case, directed the accused not to indulge in such activities again and return to Uttar Pradesh.
