Dapoli resort case: HC grants bail to Deputy collector arrested by ED

Bombay HC grants bail to Jayram Deshpande in money laundering case related to Sai Resorts NX. His role deemed lesser compared to prime accused Sadanand Kadam.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Thursday granted bail to Jayram Deshpande, the then sub-divisional officer of Dapoli, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case on March 13, 2023, related to Sai Resorts NX, purportedly constructed by a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab.

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A single judge bench of justice MS Karnik granted Deshpande bail primarily because the Supreme Court on February 12 granted bail to the prime accused, Sadanand Kadam, who had allegedly constructed the resorts as twin bungalows and later converted those into resorts.

“The co-accused no.1 (Kadam) is the prime accused. The role of the present applicant is much lesser compared to the accused no.1 against whom the allegations are of money laundering and generating proceeds of crime,” said justice Karnik while granting bail to Deshpande.

Deshpande was accused of passing an illegal approval order on September 12, 2017, for allowing the plot in question to be converted from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes and allowing construction of twin bungalows despite knowing the plot was in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 3, where no construction was permitted.

He was also accused of not cancelling the permission even after receiving a reply from the Town Planner advising against the conversion.

While granting bail to the deputy collector, the high court took into consideration that the alleged role played by him was limited to ‘assisting’ the main accused in generating proceeds of crime and that he had neither directly generated proceeds of crime himself nor was a beneficiary of the same.

The court ordered Deshpande to be released on furnishing cash of ₹1 lakh till he furnished sureties in the same amount. The court has restrained him from leaving India without prior permission of the trial court and asked him to deposit his passport with the Registrar of the sessions court.