HC grants temporary bail to murder convict to appear for law entrance exam

Bombay HC grants temporary bail to convicted murderer Sohail Ansari for a week to appear for law entrance test, despite objections.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Friday granted temporary bail to Sohail Salim Ansari, a 29-year-old convicted murderer, to allow him to appear for the Maharashtra common entrance test for law, scheduled to be held on May 30.

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A vacation bench of justice NR Borkar and justice Somasekhar Sundaresan released Ansari on a cash bail of ₹15,000 for a week. He is required to report back on May 31 to Paithan Open Jail, where he is currently lodged.

On May 22, Ansari approached the vacation bench of the court through his counsel advocate Irfan Shabbir Unwala seeking furlough release for good behaviour highlighting his young age and expressing his intention to appear for the law entrance test.

In the last hearing, the court noted that a criminal appeal was also pending in the matter. Consequently, the court asked Ansari to request a hearing for the bail plea, which was granted on Friday. This decision was made despite objections from Additional Public Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde, who argued that a request for temporary bail was not explicitly made.

Ansari’s conviction stems from a 2014 incident in Malad East where he and several others were involved in a violent altercation leading to the death of Ramesh Baban Jadhav. The prosecution’s case detailed that on October 21, 2014, during the Diwali holidays, Ansari and his associates attacked neighbours Hitesh and Jayesh Trivedi and their mother Dayaben Trivedi. When Ramesh Jadhav intervened, Ansari inflicted fatal sword blows on him.

Following the trial, the Additional Sessions Judge at Dindoshi convicted Ansari and his co-accused on December 23, 2021. They were sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 302 (culpable homicide amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, along with various other charges including assault and criminal intimidation. Ansari, along with Yusufali Wali Mohammed Sajida, Imran Anwar Kazi, and Gullu Wali Mohammed Sajida, faced additional prison terms for lesser charges.

In 2023, Ansari challenged the sessions court order in the Bombay high court, seeking suspension of his sentence. He contended that the conviction was based on insufficient evidence and alleged procedural lapses during the investigation, such as delayed recovery of CCTV footage and discrepancies in eyewitness testimonies.