In a relief for Jeetendra Navlani, builder-cum-bar owner and an alleged aide of former top cop Param Bir Singh, the Bombay High Court quashed the FIR registered against him in 2019 for allegedly obstructing police inspector Anup Dange from performing his duty.
Navlani had also filed a petition in the HC challenging the lookout circular (LOC) issued against him by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with allegations of corruption levelled against Singh.
While quashing the FIR, a division bench of Justices Prasanna Varale and SM Modak observed that it is a fit case for exercising its powers. The detailed judgement will be available later.
According to the prosecution, on November 22, 2019, outside a pub owned by Navlani –Dirty Buns Sobo – the businessman prevent Dange from taking action after his bar was found to be operating beyond permissible hours. Navlani reportedly refused to shut the pub claiming that he had good relations with Singh.
At the time, there was a fight in the pub. When a police constable tried to intervene, the youths who were part of the fight allegedly assaulted him. When Dange tried to arrest three persons involved in the brawl, Navlani stopped him from doing so, claimed Dange.
Dange further alleged that when he and his team reached the police station, he started receiving calls from several police officers. One of the arrested accused was Yash Meh Mehta, grandson of diamond merchant and film producer Bharat Shah.
An FIR was registered against Navlani, Mehta and others. The Mumbai police had filed a charge sheet in the case in May, last year.
Navlani’s counsel, Aabad Ponda, argued that the businessman was falsely implicated in the case of deterring a public servant from discharging duty since the CCTV footage of the incident was sufficient to exonerate him. The footage shows Navlani talking to the police officer and was not quarrelling or obstructing him or his colleagues from performing or discharging their official duties.
During an earlier hearing, the HC had remarked that prima facie (on the face of it) the officer (Dange) acted with a “grudge” and his subsequent actions cannot be isolated and hence relief can be granted to the petitioner.
On February 15, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had alleged that Navlani and three others – Farid Shama, Romi Shama and Feroz Shama – had extorted Rs 300 crore from Mumbai’s 70 top builders on behalf of Enforcement Directorate officials.
