New Roshan Talkies case: Court grants bail to alleged associate of Iqbal Mirchi

A court granted bail to 75-year-old Abdul Kader, accused of illegally demolishing a cinema linked to a money-laundering probe, citing his age and bailable charges.

MUMBAI: A metropolitan magistrate court in Girgaon on Tuesday granted bail to 75-year-old businessman Abdul Kader, arrested last week for allegedly encroaching upon and demolishing the defunct New Roshan Talkies in Khetwadi—a property attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during its money-laundering probe against late drug trafficker Iqbal Mirchi.

Mumbai, India - February 6, 2017: Dramatic, Cinematic, Operatic Mumbai Heritage walk at New Roshan Talkies in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 6, 2017. (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

According to the VP Road police, Kader claimed ownership of the cinema hall without documents, executed a ₹15-crore sale agreement with a certain Govind Bansal, took ₹99 lakh as token money, and sold scrap from the site for ₹5 lakh to a certain U Dhani.

The ED had attached the property in 2020 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). When it moved to take physical possession in December 2024, the structure had allegedly been razed two months earlier.

Kader was arrested on August 6 after an FIR was registered the previous day under sections 329(3) (aggravated criminal trespass), 318(4) (aggravated cheating), 323(3) (dishonest or fraudulent concealment or removal of property) and 324(5) (aggravated mischief), and 223(b) (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Granting bail, additional judicial magistrate AK Mandavgade noted that all the sections except 318(4) were bailable and that the FIR was not lodged by Bansal, with whom Kader allegedly dealt. “Taking into consideration the age of the accused, I am of the view that by imposing conditions, the accused can be released on bail,” the court said, adding that “prima facie there is no complaint” under section 223(b).

The court ordered Kader’s release on a ₹50,000 personal bond with surety or cash bail of a similar amount, subject to conditions: furnishing a permanent residential proof, a working mobile number, and contact details of two close relatives; not tampering with prosecution evidence or pressuring witnesses; cooperating with the investigation; not committing a similar offence; and reporting to the VP Road police station on August 14 between 10 am and 2 pm, and thereafter as directed by the investigating officer.

In his bail plea, filed through advocates Mithilesh Mishra, Namasvi Bhanushali and Anurag Mishra, Kader called himself “a law-abiding and peace-loving senior citizen” in “peaceful possession-occupation” of the property since 1982. He alleged that the FIR aimed to arrest him and force the withdrawal of a separate application pending before the sessions court. He also claimed that the police acted “without conducting any preliminary enquiry” as mandated by the Supreme Court.

Kader argued section 318(4) could not apply as “cheating by means of inducement is absolutely absent,” given the dispute stemmed from a long-standing ownership claim supported by documents and pending adjudication. With the cheating charge gone, the defence said that all remaining offences were bailable, making custody unjustified.

The application added that Kader’s early-morning arrest from his Agripada home was “without any need or necessity” and in “complete derogation” of procedural safeguards, with grounds of arrest “identical” to reasons for arrest—a practice deprecated by the Bombay High Court. Kader maintained he was “innocent” and ready to face trial while abiding by bail conditions.