Observing that the offence of cheating was clearly made out, the Bombay High Court rejected the pre-arrest bail plea of a man who had married five women and concealed the fact. While rejecting his plea, Justice Sarang Kotwal said that there was sufficient material to show that the accused had cheated many women.
“No case for grant of anticipatory bail order is made out,” Justice Kotwal said. The HC was hearing a plea by Shantilal Kharat, seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered by the Rasayani police station in Raigad last year, on a complaint filed by his wife.
Complainant met accused in April 2022
According to the woman, she met Kharat in April 2022 through a matrimonial website and they married in June that year. She alleged that after marriage, Kharat sought financial help and she gave him Rs 7 lakh. He had also borrowed Rs 32 lakh by pledging her ornaments. Later, she suspected that he was having an affair with his colleague and returned to her parents’ house in January 2023. On further inquiries, she learnt that he had been married four times before and that his first wife had passed away, as per the complaint.
Case registered base on complaint files by one of the women
Based on her complaint, the police registered a case of cheating, bigamy and criminal breach of trust under the Indian Penal Code. Kharat’s advocate, Samarth Karmarkar, submitted that his wife had passed away and thereafter, he had only married the complainant and no one else. However, Advocate Durivendra Dubey, appearing for the woman, argued that there were documents showing that the accused had married other women.
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