Nagpur: The Supreme Court has granted bail to Chartered Accountant Sachin Natthuji Gandhare, who was arrested in connection with the alleged ₹41 crore treasury scam involving the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) department of the Nagpur District Court.
A bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Shree Chandrashekar directed Gandhare’s release on bail after hearing arguments concerning his alleged role in the case.
The case originated from an FIR registered against Digambar Dere, a Junior Clerk/Nazir working in the MACT Department of the Nagpur District Court. The FIR invoked several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 420, 409, 467, 471, 477A, 381, 201 and 120B.
Gold Rate
Aug 27 ,2026 - Time 10.30Hrs
According to the allegations, compensation amounts deposited by insurance companies for payment to Motor Accident Claims Tribunal beneficiaries were allegedly diverted through the court’s payment system. Dere was responsible for disbursing compensation to claimants through NEFT using software provided by the Reserve Bank of India.
The prosecution alleged that Gandhare, in conspiracy with Dere and others, facilitated the transfer of large sums from the MACT account into accounts belonging to them or people associated with them. It further alleged that Gandhare helped Dere and his relatives establish companies and firms and that around ₹41 crore was siphoned off through such accounts. The prosecution also alleged that the money was subsequently used for purchasing properties.
Appearing for Gandhare, Advocate Surabhi Godbole Naidu argued that her client’s role was limited to examining the nature of remittances based on documents submitted to him in his capacity as a Chartered Accountant. She contended that a Chartered Accountant was not required to independently verify the genuineness of documents submitted by clients.
The defence further submitted that Gandhare had neither participated in fabricating documents nor played any role in generating the alleged proceeds of crime. It was argued that there was no incriminating evidence showing that he knew the funds had been obtained through fraud or forged documents.
The defence also challenged the prosecution’s reliance on a second criminal case, arguing that it arose from the same set of allegations and that multiple cases had been registered against Dere and his family members. According to the defence, Gandhare had been unnecessarily implicated without any separate or distinguishing allegation against him.
It was further submitted that Gandhare had remained in custody for nearly a year, while there were limited prospects of the trial commencing soon. The defence argued that prolonged pre-trial detention could not effectively become a punishment when the accused had allegedly played no role in the commission of the offence.
After considering the submissions, the Supreme Court directed that Sachin Gandhare be released on bail.
Gandhare was represented by Prakash Naidu, Surabhi Godbole Naidu, Satyajit Desai, Anagha Desai (AOR), Mitesh Bais, Joseph Bastian and Dhruv Sharma.
