04 September,2023 04:55 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Kishori Pednekar. File pic
Mumbai's former mayor Kishori Pednekar got temporary relief after the city police told the Bombay High Court on Monday that they would not arrest her for two days in connection with an alleged scam in the purchase of body bags for Covid-19 victims, ANI reported. Pednekar approached the higher court after a sessions court rejected her anticipatory bail plea last week stating that she was accused of an economic offence involving a huge amount of public money.
A single bench of Justice NJ Jamadar had taken up Pednekar's plea for a hearing. The next hearing of the matter was then posted to Wednesday after the prosecutor, appearing for the police, said that the police would "hold its hands" and not take coercive action against Pednekar till September 6.
Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police registered a case against Pednekar and two senior officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) under sections 420 (cheating) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and others of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party's Kirit Somaiya.
Somaiya had alleged that there was misappropriation of funds and irregularities in the management of health facilities and purchase of body bags for deceased coronavirus patients, masks and other items by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation during the pandemic. The BJP leader alleged that Kishori Pednekar and two other officials had sourced the materials from a private company for prices three times higher than it charged other governmental organisations.
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Pednekar remained Mumbai's mayor from November 2019 to March 2022 till the term of BMC's general body ended. Fresh civic elections have not been held yet.
Kishori Pednekar, in her pre-arrest bail plea, claimed that she had been falsely implicated in the case and that the complaint against her - made by Somaiya - was politically motivated. She also claimed that the case was lodged only after Shiv Sena split vertically. She also claimed that she was being targetted because she belongs to the Uddhav Thackeray faction.
The Shiv Sena leader further alleged that the complainant - Kirit Somaiya - a former Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai, was a habitual complainant and that he has a history of targeting politicians who do not owe allegiance to the saffron party.
