Mumbai: The Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Monday granted bail to Rohan Parikh, the 24-year-old accused in the fake PMO identity card case at Jio World Plaza, along with his bodyguard Dilip Kunde, noting that there appeared to be no "ill-intention".
Parikh and Kunde were arrested on September 8 after they allegedly entered Jio World Plaza in BKC using a purported fake PMO identity card with an armed companion ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
Court cites lack of overt act
The court, while granting bail to Parikh, observed that, "The allegations of the prosecution as regards fake I-card and entry along with bodyguard in the prohibitory area required to be proved and that will take time and in such circumstances, when the issue of fabrication of I-card and the entry of accused along with bodyguard and firearm prima facie does not attribute overt act."
The court said that they had no knowledge of the prohibitory order and there were no allegations of causing any harm by virtue of the use of firearm.
"The entry of accused in the prohibited area does not prima facie found to be having knowledge of prohibitory order and taking bodyguard along with him by showing I-card without any ill-intention, I am of the view that keeping accused, being young student, behind the bar, when the custodial interrogation is not required, would affect the future of the accused," the court said while granting bail to Parikh.
Bodyguard also granted bail
For Kunde, an ex-Army man, the court said that he was with Parikh "as bodyguard under the employment of and no overt act is shown against the present accused for misuse of firearm."
While seeking bail for them, advocate Satish Maneshinde had contended that Parikh visited the said mall one day prior to the visit of any dignitary to an adjoining venue and was purely for personal reasons and was not aware of any event at the place.
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The plea was opposed by the prosecution, which stated that Parikh had created the forged PMO identity card using an artificial intelligence application on his mobile.
Case timeline
Parikh and Kunde were arrested on September 8.
The bail application for the two was filed on September 11.
They were granted bail by the Magistrate Court on September 21.
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