Mumbai: Nilima Chavan, 53, lawyer and a member of Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking pre-arrest bail in the case of abetting the suicide of Shiv Sena (UBT) former corporator Sudhir More.
Chavan approached the high court after her plea for pre-arrest bail was rejected by the sessions court on September 16 observing that “prima facie” there is sufficient material against the lawyer.
More, 62, allegedly died by suicide near Ghatkopar railway station on September 1. Based on a complaint filed by More’s son, an FIR was registered against the accused lawyer under Indian Penal Code Section 306 (abetment of suicide) at the Kurla police station.
56 phone calls between More and accused on day of suicide
The Kurla police has claimed that on the day of the suicide, Sudhir and the accused made 56 phone calls, and WhatsApp and video calls to each other. The police said that as per the phone call recordings, Chavan had been harassing and blackmailing More that she would die by suicide if he did not talk to her. The calls revealed that there was an ongoing argument between the duo over the past few days; and Sudhir had spoken to the accused for two hours before he died by suicide.
The prosecution has contended that Chavan was interested in contesting the BMC elections, and was demanding tickets from More, leading to a dispute between the two.
Personal problems in relationship do not amount to abetment
Chavan’s advocate Subir Sarkar had contended that personal problems in a relationship do not amount to abetment.
While rejecting Chavan’s bail, the sessions court referred to the prosecution’s submissions which said that she had made 56 phone calls to the deceased on the day of the incident. “In the said phone calls, there is conversation in the form of a request made by the deceased to stop his harassment,” the sessions judge noted.
The plea is likely to be heard by Justice NJ Jamadar on September 20.
