Mumbai ex-mayor Kishori Pednekar gets interim protection from arrest till August 24

A sessions court here directed the police not to take any coercive action against former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar till August 24 in a case pertaining to alleged corruption in the purchase of body bags by the city civic body during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fearing arrest in the case, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader has moved an application before the sessions court seeking anticipatory bail. The case against Pednekar and two senior officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was registered under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 420 (cheating) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the city police.

The case is linked to COVID-19 centres scam allegedly involving misappropriation of funds in management of health facilities and financial irregularities in purchases of body bags for deceased coronavirus patients, masks and other items by the BMC during the pandemic. In her pre-arrest bail plea, filed through advocate Rahul Arote, the former mayor claimed she has been falsely implicated in the case.

The applicant (Pednekar) states that there are news articles published in newspapers that EOW is likely to summon the applicant for enquiry in a couple of days. With the offence being non-bailable and punishable up to life imprisonment, she apprehends arrest at the hands of the police and therefore approaches this court for pre arrest bail, her plea said.