Smart City CCTV footage submitted to HC to support bail plea

Nagpur: CCTV footage of the Smart City project cameras on city roads, procured through RTI, has been placed before the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court to argue for bail in an offence registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). The accused is pleading that the footage shows city police recorded wrong information while filing FIR against two persons allegedly held with contraband substances.
The bail plea would now be heard on May 3 as the prosecution could not file a reply on Monday.The high court had issued notices after the bail plea was first filed.
The Pachpaoli police FIR shows the arrest of Mohit Shahu and his accomplice Amir Malik, and recovery of 29gm mephedrone (MD) drugs from them, from a spot near Dayanand Park at Vaishali Nagar at 3.35am on February 26.
The CCTV footage, as reported by TOI on March 18, shows that Pachpaoli police recorded wrong information in the FIR regarding place and timing of arrest, allegedly to concoct a case against Shahu and Malik. The two are now lodged in Nagpur Central Jail.
The TOI expose had left the police department stunned, following which it issued a letter to the project director of Larsen and Toubro Limited, urging the company to refrain from sharing such footage under RTI without consulting the cops in future.
Shahu’s bail was twice rejected by the special court constituted under the NDPS Act. He has now approached the high court stating the CCTV footage procured through RTI has shown that he was caught from Kanji House Chowk within the limits of Yashodhara Nagar police station on February 25 at 6.30pm. After he was nabbed, the CCTV footage also shows one of the cops keeping a packet in the vehicle of Shahu, who was also beaten up badly. The CCTV shows the cops reached the place in a private vehicle and also whisked away Shahu without completing any documentary formalities.
Shahu’s family members are now filing a combined petition for quashing the FIR and also seeking justice against police high-handedness, with an appeal to transfer the case to either Central Bureau of Investigation, or state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for a fairer probe.
In the bail application filed by senior counsel RP Joshi and Sameer Sonwane, it’s also mentioned that one of the cops who arrested Shahu had a personal score to settle. The cop had been prevented from enjoying a feast at a party in a posh hotel by Shahu’s friend some three months ago. The bail plea also mentions that cops had snatched cash Rs2 lakh from Shahu that had been withdrawn to pay a jeweller for his brother’s marriage preparations.