Mumbai court denies bail to Arshad Khan in Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case

A Mumbai court on Wednesday denied bail to businessman Arshad Khan, a key accused in the case pertaining to the collapse of a giant hoarding at suburban Ghatkopar that claimed 17 lives in May last year.

Arrest and Background

Khan was on the run for nearly seven months and arrested from Lucknow in late December. The 42-year-old businessman's bail application was rejected by Additional Sessions Judge Sachin Pawar. A detailed court order was not available yet. In his plea, the businessman had said he was not even named in the FIR and subsequently falsely implicated in the case. Khan asserted he has no connection with Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the firm that installed the giant hoarding, or the Maharashtra government agency which gave the permissions for the billboard.

Allegations of Collusion

"The allegations against the applicant (Khan) are that of colluding with the commissioner of police to obtain the necessary permissions to erect the hoarding. But the investigating agency has not made any of the commissioners as accused in the present crime. This itself shows that investigation is baseless and biased," his plea contended.

Financial Claims and Plea for Parity

Further, the accused claimed he was not a beneficiary of any amount or profits earned by Ego Media. Khan pleaded for parity while seeking relief, pointing out that the other main accused in the case have been already granted bail. The prosecution had opposed the bail plea, arguing there was enough evidence to show his involvement in the crime. As many as 17 persons were killed and more than 80 injured after the gigantic illegal hoarding crashed on a petrol pump in Ghatkopar amid gusty winds and rain on May 13 last year.

(Except for the headline, nothing has been changed by All India News Network in the PTI copy.)