MUMBAI: A sessions court here has granted pre-arrest bail to Mallikarjun Pujari, a Thane-based politician booked in an extortion case based on a complaint filed by Bhushan Kumar, the owner of T-Series music company.
Additional sessions judge DD Koche on Monday allowed the anticipatory bail application of Pujari, who has dubbed the case against him as false.
The prosecution has said an actress had approached Pujari with a complaint against Kumar.
Pujari, then, had allegedly called Kumar for settlement and asked for money.
The accused had threatened that if money was not paid, a rape case will be filed against Kumar, the prosecution said.
Thereafter, T-Series approached the Mumbai police and filed a complaint against Pujari in the Amboli police station on July 1, 2021.
These developments came to light after the actress filed a rape case against Kumar on July 14 with the city police.
During argument over the anticipatory bail application, Pujari's lawyer Aniket Nikam submitted in the court that the FIR against his client was lodged after a case under IPC section 376 (punishment for rape) was registered against Kumar.
Nikam argued that though it was alleged in the FIR that Kumar was threatened to part with money, no amount was actually paid.
It was further argued that the extortion FIR against Pujari was a "counter blast" to the rape case filed against Kumar by the actress.
Merely because the applicant helped the victim, a false FIR was lodged against Pujari, Nikam added.
The woman, in her complaint, had alleged Kumar, 43, allegedly raped her on the pretext of providing a job in some project of his music company.
T-Series had dismissed her charge as "completely false and malicious".