The Bombay High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail petition of karate expert who apprehended arrest in a case filed against him for forging documents to get a Maharashtra government award.
Vispi Kapadia, Ex-President of Maharashtra Karate Association, had received an award known as "Utkrushtha Kreeda Margadarshak Puraskar" instituted by the state government in 2009. This award was earlier known as "Dadoji Kondeo Award".
According to a complaint filed against Kapadia in Gamdevi police station, he had forged and fabricated merit certificates of some sports persons to show that they were his students and had participated in the national karate events.
The complaint alleged that he had fabricated documents to substantiate his eligibility to be a recipient of the said prestigious award. It also said that the State award was a stepping stone for him to receive the 'Dronacharya' Award.
Later, the complaint filed in Gamdevi police station was transferred to Mumbai Crime Branch to probe the allegations.
Being aggrieved, he filed an anticipatory bail plea in a sessions court which was rejected. Kapadia then filed an appeal in the High Court which too rejected it.
"This Court is of the opinion that the offences under Section 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code have been clearly made out against the applicant (Kapadia)."
"The letters of assurances annexed along with the proposals are forged documents as the students have clearly stated that they had not signed the said documents and hence this Court is not inclined to grant pre-arrest bail to him," said a bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka on March 13.
"In the facts and circumstances of the present case and for the observations made herein above, this Court is not inclined to grant pre-arrest bail to the applicant. The application being sans merit, the same is rejected," the Judges ruled.
However, hearing a plea made by Kapadia's lawyer Amit Desai, the HC extended by three weeks interim relief granted to him earlier.
