Top cooperative officer gets bail in ACB case

Mumbai, Oct 16 (UNI) City Civil and Sessions Court today granted interim bail to a high-ranking cooperative society officer for his alleged involvement in a corruption case.

Granting bail, Sessions judge S J Shah directed the police not to arrest Shivaji Pahnidkar, the divisional registrar of cooperative society, till October 18 and adjourned the hearing till then.

The court passed the order in response to an anticipatory bail plea moved by Pahnidkar, alleging that one Bharat Shetty had made a baseless allegation against him that he had demanded money from him for passing a favourable judegment with regard to the sale of a property in Mumbai.

The court was told that following this, the officers of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) visited the petitioner's office. Hence he was apprehanding his arrest.

Pahnidkar also told the court that before he took charge as the divisional joint registrar in January this year, the matter was pending before the department since November 2006 and a stay was granted by his predecessor and Mr Shetty was after him to give a favourable judgement and was also giving him threatening calls since last month.

It was further submitted that he has written a letter to his superior regarding the threats given by the complainant and requsted the department to transfer the matter from him.

UNI