Mumbai: Considering that the man, who is accused of killing his girlfriend, has undergone more than nine years of incarceration, the Bombay High Court granted him bail while stating that the applicant does not appear to be a flight risk.
The HC was hearing a bail plea filed by Ganesh Suryavanshi through his advocates Prashant Pandey and Dinesh Jadhwani. The Chembur resident was arrested on April 6, 2014, by the CBD Belapur Police Station, Navi Mumbai, after he surrendered following the alleged crime. As per the case, the accused had slit the victim's throat as she tried to evade marriage. Suryavanshi worked with a local tour company when he met the victim, who was a second-year MBA student. A native of Ranchi, the deceased has been living in the city since 2012 with her elder sister.
Court grants relief to accused
While granting relief, Justice MS Karnik observed, “In the facts and circumstances of the present case, considering that the applicant has been incarcerated for more than nine years and eight months, I am inclined to enlarge the applicant on bail on the grounds of long incarceration.” The prosecution claimed that Suryavanshi walked into the police station with blood-stained clothes. He had injuries on his left-hand fingers. Pandey argued that Suryavanshi had been in jail since his arrest and had spent several years as an undertrial prisoner.
The brutal murder
Opposing the plea, Prosecutor Veera Shinde argued that the offense was committed in a “brutal manner” and that the trial is on the verge of conclusion as only three witnesses remain to be examined. Underlining that there is a delay in the trial since one witness is not traceable, Shinde said that the trial is likely to conclude in a period not more than three months.
“As most of the material witnesses are examined, therefore, in any case, there is no question of the applicant now tampering with the evidence,” the court said. Stating that “some stringent conditions need to be imposed”, it directed Suryavanshi's release on a personal bond of ₹25,000. He has been instructed not to directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat, or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case and not tamper with evidence.
