Keshav Bhagwat Popalghat and Others vs the State of Maharashtra — Bombay HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

Keshav Bhagwat Popalghat and Others vs the State of Maharashtra — Bombay HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Interim anticipatory-bail protection: release on P.R. bond of Rs.50,000/- each with one or two solvent sureties in the event of arrest in Crime No.298/2025, subject to thrice-weekly reporting, cooperation and non-tampering conditions; investigation papers in both F.I.Rs to be produced; hearing adjourned to 15.12.2025.

Issue for consideration

Whether the applicants should be granted protection from arrest (anticipatory bail) in connection with Crime No.298/2025 pending the Court's perusal of the investigation papers in both F.I.R. No.297 of 2025 and F.I.R. No.298 of 2025.

Court's answer

In the event of arrest, the Applicants to be released on bail on furnishing a P.R. bond of Rs.50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand) each with one or two solvent sureties in the like amount, in connection with Crime No.298/2025 registered with Chaklamba Police Station, District Beed.

Ratio / Principle

Interim protection granted till the investigation papers in both crimes — F.I.R. No.297 of 2025 filed by Mirabai Madhukar Unawane and F.I.R. No.298 of 2025 filed by Dattatraya Bhausaheb Thore — are made available for perusal of this Court.

Key takeaways

Condition imposed: the Applicants to attend the concerned police station and report to the Investigating Officer thrice in a week on every Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 12.00 p.m. to 02.00 p.m., and as and when called, until the filing of charge-sheet.ratio¶¶23
The Investigating Officer directed to make the investigation papers available on the next date of hearing.ratio¶¶24
Matter stood over to 15.12.2025.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Anticipatory Bail Application No. 2051 of 2025 — High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Bench at Aurangabad (Mehroz K. Pathan, J.; 24 November 2025). Four applicants — Keshav Bhagwat Popalghat, Krushna Bhagwat Popalghat, Dipak Bharat Shelke and Mauli @ Dnyaneshwar Dinkar Gunajal — sought protection from arrest in Crime No.298/2025 (Chaklamba Police Station, District Beed), registered on the F.I.R. of Dattatraya Bhausaheb Thore for offences under Sections 115(2), 118(1), 119(2), 189(2), 190, 191(1), 191(2), 351(2), 351(3) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Counsel urged that the F.I.R. was a counter F.I.R. to F.I.R. No.297 of 2025 lodged earlier the same day by accused no.6 Mirabai Madhukar Unawane over the same incident, with counter allegations, no injury to vital parts of the body and no dangerous weapon. Granting interim protection pending perusal of the investigation papers in both crimes, the Court directed that in the event of arrest the applicants be released on a P.R. bond of Rs.50,000/- each with one or two solvent sureties in the like amount, coupled with thrice-weekly reporting to the Investigating Officer (every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 12.00 p.m. to 02.00 p.m.) until filing of the charge-sheet, cooperation with the investigation, and abstention from pressurising witnesses or tampering with evidence; the Investigating Officer was directed to produce the investigation papers and the matter was stood over to 15.12.2025.

12-aba-2051-2025.odt

(1)

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD

ANTICIPATORY BAIL APPLICATION NO. 2051 OF 2025

Keshav Bhagwat Popalghat

Krushna Bhagwat Popalghat,

Dipak Bharat Shelke

Mauli @ Dnyaneshwar Dinkar Gunajal ..Applicants VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra ..Respondent

Advocate for Applicants : Mr. Solanke Krushna S. APP for Respondent/State : Mr. A.S. Shinde

CORAM : MEHROZ K. PATHAN, J.

DATED : NOVEMBER 24, 2025

PER COURT :

Heard.

Issue notice to the respondent. Learned APP waives notice for the Respondent/State.

Learned counsel for the applicants submits that the present F.I.R. is a counter F.I.R. earlier in point of time of accused no.6, Mirabai Madhukar Unawane being F.I.R. No.297 of 2025 on the same day pertaining to same incident. The copy of said F.I.R. is already annexed to the application. Perusal of the same would show that there are counter allegations and that there is no injury to vital

part of the body in the assault and no dangerous weapon in the F.I.R.

12-aba-2051-2025.odt

(2)

No.297 of 2025. Hence, I am inclined to protect the applicants till the investigation papers in both crimes i.e. F.I.R. No.297 of 2025 filed by Mirabai Madhukar Unawane and F.I.R. No.298 of 2025 filed by Dattatraya Bhausaheb Thore are made available for perusal of this Court. Hence, the following order :

ORDER

(i) In the event of arrest of the Applicants, they be released on bail on furnishing P.R. bond of Rs.50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand) each with one or two solvent sureties in the like amount each, in connection with Crime No.298/2025 registered with Chaklamba Police Station, District Beed, for the offences punishable under Sections 115(2), 118(1), 119(2), 189(2), 190, 191(1), 191(2), 351(2), 351(3), 352 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 on the following conditions :

(a) The Applicants are directed to attend the concerned police station and report to the Investigating Officer thrice in a week on every Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 12.00 p.m. to 02.00 p.m. and as and when called, until the filing of charge-sheet.

(b) The Investigating Officer shall make available the investigation papers on the next date of hearing.

(c) The Applicants shall also cooperate with the investigation and produce all relevant documents as may be sought by the

12-aba-2051-2025.odt

(3)

Investigating Officer for the purpose of completing the investigation.

(d) The Applicants shall not pressurize the prosecution witnesses and shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence, in any manner.

Stand over to 15.12.2025.

Learned APP is requested to make available the investigation papers in both crimes i.e. F.I.R. No.297 of 2025 and 298

of 2025 on the next date of hearing for perusal of this Court.

(MEHROZ K. PATHAN, J.)

Mujaheed//