Gujarat HC refuses bail to TMC leader

The Gujarat High Court Monday refused to grant bail to Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Saket Gokhale who is behind bars in connection with an alleged case of financial fraud.

High Court Judge Samir Dave declined to grant him any relief before the police filing the chargesheet. Appearing for Gokhale, advocate Asim Pandya sought relief on several grounds including his medical condition. He also argued that Gokhale is an RTI activist who collected money through crowdfunding by declaring that it will be used for the campaign as well as his sustenance.

Gokhale was arrested on December 29, a day after an FIR was registered against him with the Ahmedabad cyber cell police. He is accused of criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and sections of the IT Act. The FIR alleges that Gokhale collected over Rs 72 lakh funds through crowdfunding and used the amount for his personal purposes. This is the third case registered against the journalist-turned-politician who is lodged at Sabarmati Central Jail.

Earlier, on December 6, Gokhale was first arrested for tweeting a morphed news clip claiming that Rs 30 crore was spent on PM Narendra Modi's visit to Morbi to meet survivors of the suspension bridge collapse. Moments after he was granted bail in the case, a team of Morbi police arrested him in a fresh case for allegedly "promoting enmity between classes in connection with election" under section 125 of People's Representation Act, 1950.