Pune court rejects bail application of arrested Amravati town planning joint director

Pune: Additional sessions judge SB Hedao has rejected the bail application of suspended Amravati town planning joint director Hanumant Nazirkar in the disproportionate assets case

Pune: Additional sessions judge SB Hedao has rejected the bail application of suspended Amravati town planning joint director Hanumant Nazirkar in the disproportionate assets case. Nazirkar and his family, including nephew Rahul Shivaji Khomane (31) of Shirwal in Baramati, stand accused of accumulating properties worth ₹82.38 crore in violation of the law.

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Along with Nazirkar, six other people, including his wife, daughter, son, nephew, and their lawyer have also been booked.

Nazirkar’s bail was rejected by a special court in Pune in May. Nazirkar and Khomane were arrested in March in a case by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) registered at Alankar police station in June 2020. The eight family members booked in the case have been accused of illegally amassing assets worth ₹82,38,34,941, according to the police complaint in the case.

The prosecution stated that the police investigation into the corruption case involving Nazirkar and his family has found that they have illegal property worth ₹82.38 crores besides 37 companies wherein they are the majority shareholders. Nazirkar had kept his illegal properties as collateral with a bank and Khomane had obtained a loan of ₹48 lakh of the said collateral pledged by the main accused. Later, he invested the said amount in one of the shell companies floated by his family members. Khomane had forged memorandums of understanding and 35 such bogus documents have been seized by the investigators, the prosecution stated.

The investigators informed the court that they had to recover 346 agricultural receipts from Khomane and probe transactions of ₹87 lakh which took place in the personal account. They submitted that an investment of ₹23 lakh in Gitanjali realty company was to be probed further.

Regarding Nazirkar, the prosecution said that his father-in-law had 37 properties in his name, while 17 properties were in Nazirkar and his wife’s name. Following his father-in-law’s death, a forged power of attorney was readied and all the companies, including properties, were transferred in the name of his wife Sangeeta Nazirkar, said public prosecutor Rajesh Kavediya.

Nazirkar has three other cases registered against him - two in Baramati police station of Pune rural and one at APMC police station of Navi Mumbai. The police have been investigating the allegations against the Nazirkar family between January 1986 and March 2020 when he served in public office.

The case was lodged under Sections 13(m)(b)(e), RW 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, and Sections 109, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 472, 474, 475, and 120(b) of Indian Penal Code at Alankar police on June 23, 2020.