Former Mumbai mayor, Kishori Pednekar, has obtained temporary relief from potential arrest as the city police assured the Bombay High Court that they would refrain from arresting her for two days in connection with an alleged scam related to the purchase of body bags for COVID-19 victims.
Pednekar sought recourse from the High Court after a sessions court rejected her pre-arrest bail plea, citing allegations of involvement in a significant economic offense that had implications for public funds. A single bench of Justice N J Jamadar addressed Pednekar’s plea. Her lawyer, Rahul Arote, highlighted her status as a former mayor and her apprehension of arrest in the case. The prosecutor representing the police requested additional time and confirmed that the case’s investigating officer was present in court. The police pledged to abstain from taking any coercive measures against Pednekar until Wednesday. Consequently, the court scheduled the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.
The Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had filed a case against Pednekar and two senior officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy). The case stemmed from a complaint filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. The complaint alleged financial misappropriation and irregularities in the management of healthcare facilities, as well as the procurement of body bags, masks, and other items by the BMC during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pednekar, who served as Mumbai’s mayor from November 2019 to March 2022 when the BMC’s general body term concluded, argued in her pre-arrest bail plea that she was falsely implicated in the case, contending that it was politically motivated.
She further claimed that the case was only registered following the Shiv Sena party’s internal split, insinuating that she was targeted because of her affiliation with the Uddhav Thackeray faction. Pednekar also accused the complainant, Kirit Somaiya, a former Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai, of being a habitual complainant known for targeting politicians not aligned with his party.