HC grants bail to Ravi Poojari gang member in extortion case

Bombay HC grants bail to William Albert Rodriques, alleged member of Ravi Poojari gang, citing lack of evidence and right to speedy trial after 5-year detention.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court granted bail to William Albert Rodriques from Goregaon, an alleged member of the infamous Ravi Poojari gang. Rodriques, who has been in custody for over five years, was released by Justice NJ Jamadar in connection with charges of extortion and involvement in organised crime.

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The case dates back to late 2018 and early 2019, when the gang leader Ravi Poojari allegedly made repeated extortion calls to a real estate developer and his relatives, demanding ₹2 crore and threatening their lives. The prosecution claims that Rodriques, along with co-accused Akash B Shetty, provided the gang leader with personal information and contact details of the developer.

The prosecution asserted that Rodriques and Shetty were integral members of the organised crime syndicate led by Poojari. They alleged that the duo furnished detailed information about the developer’s projects and personal details to Poojari, which facilitated the extortion attempts. The prosecution highlighted that Poojari’s men had even fired shots at the complainant to intimidate him, leaving a note with Poojari’s contact number and threatening to kill him if he did not comply.

The prosecution further argued that Rodriques’ involvement was evidenced by the statement of a witness and Rodriques’ confessional statement under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). They contended that Rodriques’ actions were part of a larger pattern of organized crime activities orchestrated by Poojari, who is associated with at least 51 cases in Mumbai, including murder, extortion, and shoot-outs over the past 24 years. Out of these, the provisions of MCOCA have been invoked in 20 cases, underscoring the severity of the charges.

Rodriques’ defence argued that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims that he was involved in the extortion scheme or was a member of Poojari’s crime syndicate. They pointed out that Rodriques had been detained based on suspicion rather than concrete evidence. The defence emphasised that the primary witness, X, did not corroborate the prosecution’s claims during cross-examination, and the confessional statement’s admissibility and reliability were questionable.

The defence also highlighted the prolonged period of incarceration that Rodriques had already endured, stressing that he had been in custody for over five years without significant progress in his trial. They invoked the principle of the right to a speedy trial, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, arguing that further detention without a foreseeable end to the trial was unjust.

Justice Jamadar noted the lack of direct evidence implicating Rodriques and the fact that witness testimonies did not strongly support the prosecution’s case. The court also acknowledged the fundamental right to a speedy trial, which had been compromised by the prolonged detention of Rodriques without substantial trial progress.

Considering that Rodriques had no prior criminal record and had already spent more than five years in custody, the court concluded that it was unjust to prolong his incarceration further. Justice Jamadar ordered Rodriques’ release on a bail bond of ₹1 lakh with specific conditions, including regular check-ins with the police and prohibitions against tampering with evidence or intimidating witnesses.