Hinjewadi land scam: Additional sessions court rejects bail plea of 2 accused in ₹7.76 crore case

PUNE PR Ashturkar, judge presiding over the additional sessions court in Pune, rejected the bail application of Chand Mulani in connection with the ₹7.76 crore Hinjewadi Waqf land-scam case.

Mulani and another accused identified as Imtiyaz Shaikh have been booked under various sections of IPC related to fraud and cheating by the Bund Garden police after a complaint was lodged by Pune Regional Officer of the Maharashtra Wakf Board.

The judge in his order stated: “At the outset it is necessary to mention here that the issue regarding title/ownership or even trusteeship cannot be decided in the present proceeding. Though much is argued regarding the status of property, from perusal of the papers furnished by the police, it can be seen that, by way of Government Resolution the property of the Trust was declared as ‘Wakf Property’. The documents prima facie clearly indicate that the applicant and Imtiyaz forged a ‘no-objection certificate’ allegedly issued by the Wakf Authority. The main point of concern, at this stage, is transfer of a huge amount of compensation to a private account belonging to Imtiyaz Shaikh. The investigation is in progress. The applicant had played a major role in the entire process. He must be well aware about the documentary evidence. In such a situation, if at this stage, the applicant would be released on bail, the possibility cannot be ruled out that he may hamper or tamper prosecution evidence. Thus, it is not desirable to release applicants on bail at this juncture. Hence the application stands rejected.”

The state prosecutor had earlier argued that the role played by Mulani is clearly revealed. He not only impersonated one of the office bearers of the trust, but also aided prime accused Imtiyaz to siphon crores of rupees of the government.

The FIR lodged at the Bund Garden police station claims the duo allegedly impersonated the president and secretary of a trust which owns prime Waqf land in Maan near Hinjewadi, and accepted ₹7.76 crore after land acquisition for the fourth phase of the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park.

The FIR states that the Tabut Inam Endowment Trust, which is registered with the Waqf board, owns eight hectares in Maan village of Mulshi taluka, Pune district. The government was scheduled to give around ₹9.64 crore to the trust and accordingly sanctioned and released ₹7.73 crore.

The Waqf board received a complaint from the trust that they did not receive any compensation from the state . During an enquiry by the deputy collector (land acquisition), it was revealed that the accused, Shaikh and Mulani, had posed as the trust’s president and secretary and submitted a forged document of the Waqf board giving its consent to their appointments, after which the collector’s office released the amount to them instead of the bonafide trust members.