Ex-mayor Kishori Pednekar gets protection from arrest for 2 days

Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar has been given a two-day reprieve by the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai police, assuring the court that they will not arrest her. Pednekar is accused of being involved in a conspiracy to defraud the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation during the pandemic. She claims to have been falsely implicated and argues that the complaint against her has political motives. The court will hear the matter again on Wednesday.

In a reprieve to former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai police on Monday assured the Bombay high court that they would not arrest the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader for two days.

Mumbai, India - Nov. 18, 2019:Shiv Sena corporator Kishori Pednekar(C) along with Suhas Wadkar( R) for the Deputy Mayor where greeted by her party coporator's after filling nomination papers for the post MumbaiÕs Mayor at BMC head office in Mumbai, India, on Monday, November 18, 2019. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

According to EOW, Pednekar, unknown public servants and private persons hatched a conspiracy and defrauded the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to the tune of ₹49,63,200 after purchasing body bags from M/s Vedanta Innotech Private Limited (VIPL) at an inflated rate during the pandemic.

Pednekar approached the HC on August 31 after a sessions court last week rejected her anticipatory bail plea on grounds that she was accused of an economic offence involving a large amount of public money.

On Monday, when her plea came up for hearing before a single-judge bench of justice N J Jamadar, her lawyer, advocate Rahul Arote said she was apprehending arrest and urged the court to grant her interim protection.

A prosecutor, appearing for the police, said the investigating officer was present in the court and that the police would not take any coercive action against Pednekar till Wednesday. The court then posted the matter for hearing on Wednesday.

In her plea, Pednekar claimed that she had been falsely implicated in the case and there was no material to indicate that she was in any way connected to the firm alleged to have been given the contract.

“The complaint has political overtures and it is evident from the fact that only after a split in Shiv Sena, it was lodged against the applicant who was then a mayor, and is affiliated to Udhav Thakare faction,” the plea said and added that complainant Kirit Somaiya, a BJP leader, was a habitual complainant, and had a history of targeting politicians who did not owe allegiance to his party.

Police claimed that Pednekar called BMC official Haridas M Rathod at her residence and pressured him to award the contract to a specific entity.

Refuting the allegations, Pednekar’s plea said, “Dr Rathod was only a medical officer and during Covid-19, he was given the additional charge of deputy dean of the central purchase department. He had no authority to either propose or issue the purchase order on May 15, 2020, for supply of 1,000 body bags in favour of M/s Care One Solutions. The said decision was taken by a committee of BMC.”

The police claimed that this contract was cancelled, and a fresh contract was awarded to VIPL. They also alleged that VIPL had supplied body bags to BMC at ₹6,719 a piece against the earlier price of ₹2,583.