Pune Court Rejects Anticipatory Bail In Metro Tunnel Damage Case

Pune: A sessions court in Pune has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a homeowner and a contractor accused of damaging an underground metro tunnel in Pune city.

Sessions Judge R. R. Mendhe denied relief to the homeowner, Dhananjay Pandharinath Mote, and the contractor, Prataprao Sopan Jagtap. The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that granting bail could affect the ongoing investigation.

According to available details, the case relates to an incident on 14th March in Shukrawar Peth. A borewell was dug in an open space after demolishing an old wada on Chhatrapati Shivaji Road, near Khadak Police Station (under the Pune City Police Commissionerate).

During the work, a six-inch hole was drilled in the underground metro tunnel on the Shivajinagar-Swargate route. The work was carried out without permission from Pune Metro, officials said.

A complaint was filed by Pune Metro Joint General Manager Shantanu Goratra. Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita of 2023 and the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act of 2002. The accused have been charged with endangering public safety and causing damage to metro property worth around Rs 2.5 lakh.

Chief District Public Prosecutor Pramod Bombatkar opposed the bail plea. He told the court that the accused were aware of their actions and that their release could interfere with the probe. The court agreed with this argument and rejected the applications.