The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Jitendra Navlani, a builder and an owner of a bar in south Mumbai, to attend the office of Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on March 4, pertaining to a lookout circular (LOC) issued against him in connection with corruption allegations against former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
The court also asked Navlani to provide all necessary details of his scheduled visit to London for medical treatment and contact numbers of his spouse as well as two nearest relatives to the police.
The court, while hearing Navlani’s plea, which challenged the LOC filed earlier this month, was told that the petitioner is required to visit medical experts or hospital outside Mumbai — in London — for specialised treatment. Navlani assured the HC that he is ready to attend the investigating agency as soon as he returns to Mumbai.
A division bench of Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Surendra P Tavade on February 16 was told by advocate Niranjan Mundargi, representing Navlani, that LOC was issued against his client “without any substantive material against him and without the petitioner being “erred as an accused in any of the offences.”
Mundargi said that the first notice was issued to Nalvani on July 26, last year, and he was asked to record the statement on July 30, 2021, which the petitioner complied with. Thereafter, he met the ACP as per the second notice, recorded his statement and extended the required cooperation, the lawyer added.
Navlani’s lawyer said that the petitioner is required to attend the doctors or hospital for certain medical treatments and would have to leave Mumbai for the same. He added that for preliminary treatment, Navlani was at Hinduja Hospital and as he is advised to take further specialised treatment, the same should be allowed.
Mundargi, on instructions from Navlani, who was present in the court, submitted that to show his bonafide status, petitioner is ready to attend the authority concerned, which is the ACP office in this case. The court accepted the statement as an undertaking.
The petitioner also said that he apprehends that if he takes steps to proceed to London as per the scheduled visit, he would be prevented from taking the onward journey on the ground that an LOC has been issued against him. “The entire attempt to approach this court would be frustrated,” Mundargi said and sought an interim relief for his client.
Thereafter, advocate K V Saste, representing the state government, on instructions from ACP Vijaykumar Doke, who was present in the court, submitted that the respondent authority would not object to scheduled visit of the petitioner in view of his assurance to the court to attend the ACP office on his return.
After the state government lawyer sought from court a particular date for Navlani to see the police, the bench asked Navlani to attend the ACP’s office on March 4 at 11 am and posted further hearing in his plea to March 11.
Navlani, along with Singh, is under ACB probe based on a complaint filed by police officer Anup Dange, who had alleged that Singh had transferred him since Dange had not agreed to his demand of not naming a builder, Jitu (Jitendra) Navlani, in the FIR.
Dange had alleged that he was suspended when Singh became Mumbai CP, as he had not allowed Singh’s “close friend” Navlani to run his pub in south Mumbai beyond permissible time limits in 2019. Dange had also alleged that Singh later demanded Rs 2 crore to revoke his suspension.
Leveling allegations against the ED, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, on February 15, had named Navlani and alleged that he as well as three persons named Farid Shama, Romi Shama and Feroz Shama had “extorted Rs 300 crore from Mumbai’s 70 top builders on behalf of ED officials”.