The Bombay High Court on Thursday rejected the bail application of artist Chintan Upadhyay in connection with the murder of his estranged wife Hema and lawyer Harish Bhambani.
A Single Bench of Justice Sadhana Jadhav was hearing the bail plea filed by the artist, who was arrested on December 28, 2015, and sent to judicial custody on January 4, 2016. Mr. Upadhyay has been charged with murder. The bodies were found in two cartons in a drain in Kandivali on December 11, 2015. Mr. Upadhyay is believed to have been in the city when the murder took place.
Senior counsel Raja Thakare appearing for Mr. Upadhyay said Vidyadhar Rajbhar, who is an absconding accused, hatched the murder and Mr. Upadhyay had no role to play in it.
The Bench said, “There is sufficient material to show that the applicant had a grudge against his ex-wife. It was written in his diary that given an opportunity he will destroy her. He never stayed with her after 2008 due to a divorce battle, but before the incident he did.
The court said, “Going by the conduct of the applicant before and after the incident, this court feels this is not a fit case to grant bail at this stage.”
