Gujarat High Court grants bail to journalist Mahesh Langa, won't walk of jail due to another tax fraud case

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted regular bail to senior journalist, Mahesh Langa, in connection with the alleged GST fraud.

However, the journalist, behind bars since his arrest on October 8, won't be able to walk out of jail as his bail plea in a similar offence registered by Rajkot police was rejected on Wednesday.

The single bench of justice M R Mengdey allowed the regular bail plea of Langa. The bench had reserved the verdict after concluding the hearing on January 3.

This is the first criminal case lodged against Langa by Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) on the basis of a written complaint filed by Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence(DGGI), Ahmedabad zonal unit alleging GST tax credit fraud. 

Earlier this week, the DCB filed chargesheet against Langa and 13 other co accused. They have cited ten witnesses against Langa including, two cousins-Manoj and Nilesh Langa, his wife Kavita, chartered accountant Jigar Shah, among others. Langa is alleged to have obtained tax benefits of over Rs6.61 lakh under GST on a total transaction of over Rs44 lakh through a firm DA Enterprises. 

"As the proprietor of DA Enterprise he understated the actual profit of his firm by showing false purchase invoices to evade tax and received false GST tax credit without purchasing any goods," the DCB stated in its chargesheet. 

Citing money trails, the chargesheet claims that Langa despite knowing that Dhruvi Enterprises, the main firm was opened on the basis forged documents and existed only only on paper, availed tax credit with the help of several co accused and obtained four false e-way bills (required for movement of goods under GST) amounting to Rs43,35,949. 

In December, he was arrested by Rajkot police in a similar tax fraud case. On Wednesday, the local court refused his bail application due to which he will have to remain in jail. In the third FIR related to possession of confidential government documents, Langa was granted anticipatory bail.