The special court for corruption cases on Monday rejected the bail plea of Chandrakant Hanumant Vasudev, a stenographer posted at a court in the Mazgaon centre, who was arrested on November 10 for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹15 lakh in exchange for a favourable verdict in a land dispute case.
Stenographer Caught Red-Handed
Vasudev was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe from the complainant. Soon after receiving the amount, he allegedly called Sessions
Judge Aejazuddin S. Kazi to inform him that the money had been delivered.
Police officials said the judge’s residence was found locked, and a search is underway to trace him.
ACB Awaiting Permission to Proceed Against Judge
While the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is awaiting permission to take further action against Sessions Judge Kazi, the special court refused to grant bail to Vasudev.
Defence Argues Lack of Evidence Under PC Act
During Monday’s hearing, Vasudev’s lawyer, Vijay Desai, argued that the allegations do not fulfil the essential ingredients of the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.
He further submitted that since all electronic evidence, including the phone and SD card, has been seized by the probe agency, continued custody was unnecessary.
Prosecution Opposes Bail, Cites Strong Evidence
The prosecution strongly opposed the bail plea, stating that Vasudev approached the complainant’s associate, shared his number, and demanded a bribe in exchange for a favourable order.
They also informed the court that a proposal for further action against the absconding judge is pending before the Bombay High Court. It was submitted that several communications took place between the two accused, and the agency needs to confront and interrogate both.
Therefore, the prosecution urged the court to reject the bail plea at this stage.
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