Gangster and former politician Suresh alias Pappu Kalani, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case, was on Friday granted bail by the Bombay High Court.
Kalani, former Member of Legislative Assembly from Ulhasnagar, was convicted in December last year for the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party activist Inder Bhatija in the year 1999.
On Friday, the Bombay High Court granted Kalani bail on the bond of Rs One Lakh. He has been barred from entering his home constituency Ulhasnagar. He has also been directed to report to Kalyan police station every 15 days.
Kalani's lawyer Niteen Pradhan had argued before the court that though he had been convicted, there was no shred of evidence against him. He said that there was no evidence to link him as the conspirator with the assailants.
Kalani sought bail on the grounds that he was not involved in any misconduct or indiscipline during the entire period of trial in the 1999 case.
The Kalanis are known to hold tremendous clout in the Sindhi community in Ulhasnagar area. Pappu Kalani was elected as an MLA from the area consistently in the past, though he kept hopping parties. He lost the 2009 polls. He faces grave charges and there are more than a dozen cases against him, including murder cases.
