Nagpur: Former Corporator Kamlesh Chaudhari, arrested in connection with the alleged land grab of a portion of Futala Lake’s catchment area, has been granted bail by the court. The case pertains to approximately 5.4 acres of land belonging to Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV), which Chaudhari is accused of illegally claiming.
The Chaudhari family has been in possession of the land since 1984 after Kamlesh’s father, Dilip Chaudhari, asserted ownership. PDKV had contested the claim in court, seeking legal ownership of the land, but their plea was dismissed in 2003. Following this, Kamlesh reportedly obtained a certified copy from the City Survey office to verify whether his father’s name was listed as the landowner.
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Subsequently, Kamlesh applied for correction of the land records to officially include his late father’s name. However, the Land Records Officer, suspecting irregularities, scrutinized the documents and found discrepancies. A complaint was then lodged at Sadar Police Station, triggering legal action against Chaudhari.
After years of dormancy, the case resurfaced recently, leading to Chaudhari’s arrest. He was under magisterial custody at the time of the bail hearing.
Defence counsels Adv Prakash Jaiswal, Adv Ashish Naik, Adv Raj Baghel, and Adv Avinash Balpande argued that the case was politically motivated and that the FIR was based on distorted facts. They also pointed out that the original mutation documents are already with the police, making further custody unnecessary.
District Government Pleader Adv Nitin Telgote appeared for the prosecution. After hearing both sides, Additional Sessions Judge Joglekar granted bail to Chaudhari on a personal bond of Rs 30,000.
