HC restrains cops from filling chargesheet against Pednekar in SRA project fraud

The Bombay high court on Tuesday temporarily restrained the Mumbai police from filing chargesheet against former mayor Kishori Pednekar in connection with an FIR registered against her for allegedly taking possession of six flats in a Worli slum rehabilitation project by forging signatures of beneficiaries

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Tuesday temporarily restrained the Mumbai police from filing chargesheet against former mayor Kishori Pednekar in connection with an FIR registered against her for allegedly taking possession of six flats in a Worli slum rehabilitation project by forging signatures of beneficiaries.

The HC order was passed while hearing Pednekar’s petition seeking quashing of the FIR and further proceedings in the case, claiming she was falsely implicated for forging documents and there were mala fide and political motives behind the complaint. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

The HC order was passed while hearing Pednekar’s petition seeking quashing of the FIR and further proceedings in the case, claiming she was falsely implicated for forging documents and there were mala fide and political motives behind the complaint.

The petition filed by Pednekar has stated that the FIR filed against her on January 14, 2023, for using a flat and shops in Gomata Janata SRA CHS situated at Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, which is meant for the rehabilitation of slum dwellers, was actuated with mala fides, false, baseless and reckless allegations. Pednekar was booked under sections 419, 420, 465, 468,471 read with section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the complaint, which was registered at Nirmal Nagar police station based on a September 2020 complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, Pednekar had given the address of a flat in the Gomata building while filing her nomination for the municipal corporation elections in 2017. The complaint stated that she could not have given the address as the flat was registered in the name of a beneficiary of the SRA scheme in 2008 and as per the Maharashtra Slums Areas Act the same could not be taken over by her as the waiting period of 10 years had not lapsed.

The complaint further stated that a shop, which was in the name of another SRA beneficiary, was registered in the name of Kish Corporate Services India Pvt Ltd with the registrar in 2012. The complaint alleged that the relevant section of the Maharashtra Slum Area Act was violated by Pednekar as she was the founding member of the firm and the directors were her relatives.

While refuting the allegations, Pednekar in her petition stated that the agreement registered with the registrar had the name of the SRA beneficiary, but his photograph did not match. Despite the anomaly the agreement with Kish had been registered which shows that she was falsely implicated.

Pednekar further informed the bench that she had been granted anticipatory bail in the case by the HC in January 2023 and hence the FIR should be quashed and set aside, and the police should be restrained from probing the complaint further and filing the chargesheet.

After hearing the submissions, the division bench of justice Revati Mohite Dere and justice Prithviraj Chavan, restrained the police from filing a chargesheet in the case till the next hearing and adjourned the matter to March 30.