Fake PMO ID case: Court grants bail to Rohan Parikh, bodyguard Dilip Kunde

Parikh’s plea said no harm, prejudice or injury had been caused to anyone and that he had visited the mall “purely for personal reasons”. Senior advocate Satish Maneshinde, appearing for both the accused, argued that even if the allegations against them were taken at face value, they “would tantamount to a victimless crime”

MUMBAI: A magistrate’s court on Monday granted bail to Rohan Premal Parikh, 24, who allegedly entered Jio World Plaza in Bandra-Kurla Complex on September 7, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to attend an event at an adjoining venue, using a forged Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) identity card. Parikh’s bodyguard Dilip Rajaram Kunde, who allegedly accompanied him carrying a firearm, was also granted bail by the court.

Fake PMO ID case: Court grants bail to Rohan Parikh, bodyguard Dilip Kunde

Parikh’s plea said no harm, prejudice or injury had been caused to anyone and that he had visited the mall “purely for personal reasons”. Senior advocate Satish Maneshinde, appearing for both the accused, argued that even if the allegations against them were taken at face value, they “would tantamount to a victimless crime”.

Additional chief judicial magistrate DS Khedekar allowed the pleas, observing that “no intentional act to use the I-card and no specific role is attributed against the accused for commission of overt act” through the forged card. The court directed each accused to furnish a personal bond of ₹50,000 with one or two sureties of the same amount.

According to the prosecution, on the evening of September 7, Parikh, Kunde and a third man entered the mall, where prohibitory orders were in force, using a forged PMO identity card. Parikh allegedly admitted making the card using ChatGPT, while further PMO-style documents were recovered from his home. Kunde, a retired armed forces personnel, allegedly claimed to be an officer of the SPG or a central security agency when guards questioned him.

A licensed revolver and six live cartridges were recovered from Kunde, while the third man, Prathamesh Bagul, was wanted, police said. The crime intelligence unit has taken over the probe.

Parikh’s bail plea, filed through Maneshinde, said that the prohibitory orders had not been “sufficiently published and promulgated as required by law”. It cited his age, educational background and health, saying he had been “of fragile health since birth” and was recovering from a slip-disc injury.

The plea described Parikh as a highly educated individual with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Mathematics and Finance from the University of London. It relied on letters from the Director-General of UNESCO and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, as well as the Head of the Royal Navy Strategic Study Centre, and said Parikh had secured the first position in the Geopolitical Summit 2024 among 19,231 participants. He stood third among 15,471 participants in the UK Geopolitical Essay Competition 2024, organised by the Royal Navy of Great Britain in collaboration with Bayes Business School and the University of London, the plea stated.

Parikh was “at the cusp of his transition from a student to a professional”, and his phone, laptop and other documents had already been seized, leaving nothing further to be recovered, the plea said.

Opposing bail, the prosecution said the investigation was at a preliminary stage, and another person linked to the offence was yet to be arrested. Parikh also had a “history of frequent foreign travel, enhancing the risk of his evading trial”, and possible misuse of the fake I-card was yet to be examined, the prosecution noted.

The court however approved the bail plea, noting Parikh’s age (24), education and participation in academic competitions.

“Incarceration of the young student along with hardened offenders would cause prejudice” and keeping him behind bars when custodial interrogation was no longer required “would affect the future of the accused”, the court said.

Regarding Kunde, the court said that “no overt act is shown” against him for misuse of the firearm. Kunde’s plea said he was at the mall “in discharge of his employment duties”, while the prosecution said verification of his weapon licence and forensic analysis of his phone were pending. The court said that questions regarding the legality of his possessing the firearm and using it as a bodyguard “required to be established during the trial”.