BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court refused anticipatory bail to Anupkumar Chodhari, an accused from Uttar Pradesh who had allegedly cheated 15 persons from different states after receiving lakhs of rupees from them on the pretext of getting them inducted as members of the Railway Board. Justice S Vishwajith Shetty said, “I am of the opinion that he (Chodhari) is not entitled for the relief prayed in this petition.
Under these circumstances, though in law the present petition filed under Section 438 of CrPC is maintainable, I am of the view that on the merits of the case considering the criminal history of the petitioner, his prayer made in this petition is liable to be rejected.”
Chodhari approached the high court in connection with the complaint filed by S Muniyappa at the Vidhana Soudha police station. The public prosecutor submitted that the petitioner is a history-sheeter with 15 similar cases registered against him in various states.
The petitioner is now in custody for a crime registered by the Kanti police in Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh. The trial court had issued a body warrant against him in this case, while such warrants have been issued by different courts across the country for similar offences. The custodial interrogation is necessary. He cannot claim parity on the ground that the accused number 2, who is a woman, has been released on bail, he argued.