Ambernath businessman gets bail in Rs 22 crore GST scam case

THANE: The Kalyan Sessions Court has granted bail to businessman Nikhil Naresh Valecha (28), a resident of Ambernath and a building material supplier, who was arrested in connection with a multi-crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion case. The bail was granted by Additional Sessions Judge P. R. Ashturkar, who observed that continued detention of the applicant was unjustified.Valecha was arrested on July 17, 2025, by officials of the State Tax Department, Mazgaon, Mumbai, under provisions of Section 132(1)(c) of the Maharashtra GST Act, 2017. The prosecution alleged that he was involved in fake invoices and evading taxes worth Rs 20.20 crores.During the hearing, Valecha’s counsel Arjun Bhojraj Jeswani argued that he had been falsely implicated and was cooperating with authorities since 2023. He had appeared before the tax department multiple times and had even deposited ₹2.5 crore towards tax liabilities. The defense further highlighted that no formal FIR or concrete accusations had been filed even after a month of his arrest, and his detention amounted to “pre-trial punishment.”The Court noted that the arrest appeared to be “mechanical” and emphasized that an individual cannot be kept languishing in jail without formal charges. Relying on previous case law, the judge stated that stringent bail conditions would adequately serve the purpose.Valecha was released on a personal bond of ₹50,000 with one surety of the same amount. The bail order mandates that he must not tamper with evidence, must cooperate with the investigation, and should not commit any offence while on bail.