Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party vice–president and former MP Kirit Somaiya moved the Bombay High Court on Tuesday challenging rejection of his anticipatory bail in the INS Vikrant case.
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A special court on April 11 rejected his anticipatory bail. His plea mentions that the ₹57–crore case is of 2013 and is therefore politically motivated. It also says there is no evidence of his involvement.
A special court had also rejected Mr. Somaiya's son Neil's pre–arrest bail on Tuesday.
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The Somaiyas had filed for pre–arrest bail on April 9 after the Trombay police station registered a criminal case against them on the basis of a complaint by a retired Army personnel Baban Bhosale. The FIR was registered under Sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had argued that there are witnesses who also support the case of the father–son duo embezzling money. The EOW also pointed out that the former MP did not seek anyone’s permission before beginning to collect money to save the ship and that he is in an influential person and in a position to tamper evidence.
INS Vikrant was decommissioned in 1997 and was sold and scrapped in November 2104. The Somaiyas started a campaign called “Save INS Vikrant” and collected more than ₹57 crore but had himself donated only ₹2,000.