Bombay HC grants bail to accused who framed two people in Sharjah

The family of an Indian serving 25 years in a Sharjah jail on drugs charges has expressed shock after the Bombay High Court granted bail to the person who allegedly planted the drugs on him Anthony Paul a baker and his associate Rajesh Bhobate a banker were granted bail in a case involving actress Chrisann Pereira who was also arrested in Sharjah on drugs charges The accused allegedly planted drugs in a trophy leading to Pereirarsquos arrest She was released following the intervention of the External Affairs Ministry Clayton Rodrigues was also a victim of Paul and was similarly framed in connection with a cake He was convicted in Sharjah and sentenced to 25 years in prisonFamily speaksThe family expressed dismay over the bail granted to the accused They also criticised the government and the MEA for not responding to their pleas or offering a hearing for over a yearldquoWe respect the judiciary but a large community is devastated and disheartened by the Bombay High Courtrsquos decision to grant bail to the accused baker Anthony Paul and his accomplice Rajesh Bhobate Because of these criminals an innocent man Clayton Rodrigues is enduring persecution in a foreign country for a crime he never committedrdquo said Claytonrsquos wife Falyn RodriguesMalcom Clayton Rodriguesrsquos brother said ldquoThe accused were granted bail on the grounds of possessing a small quantity of drugs yet that same small quantity has cost Clayton his life and he has been sentenced to 25 yearsrdquoClaytonrsquos wife Falyn further raised concerns asking whether the government stands with the victims or the criminals She emphasised the immense emotional and financial strain the family has endured receiving no support from anyone except GodFalyn had previously written to the Ministry of External Affairs MEA detailing the familyrsquos struggle against the unjust exploitation by the criminals and their daily battle with mental and physical trauma She said ldquoIf the government can release the accused why canrsquot it strive to bring an innocent victim back to his motherlandrdquoChrisannrsquos caseAnother victim of the drugplanting scheme actor Chrisann Pereira managed to return to India in August with the assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs MEA The Rodrigues family has appealed to a higher court in Abu Dhabi after the Sharjah Federal Court of Appeal denied Clayton any relief The case is currently pending according to Claytonrsquos familyClayton Rodrigues was arrested at Sharjah International Airport on February 6 2023 with 3384 grams of cannabis and over 1000 poppy seeds hidden inside a cake in his possession He denied any knowledge of the contraband claiming that someone at the airport in India had handed him the items to deliver to another person upon his arrival in SharjahldquoDeeply disappointed that the culprits have been let out on bail while Clayton has been sentenced to a lifetime in Sharjah jail I want the police and other authorities to assure our security until the culprits are back in jailrdquo said Chrisann PereiraPaulrsquos arrestThe Mumbai Police Crime Branch arrested Paul a Mira Roadbased baker and his accomplice Ravi Bhobate in April after it was discovered that Paul had sought revenge on five individuals including Pereira and Rodrigues by sending them to Sharjah with druglaced items The other three victims however did not travel abroad and returned from the domestic airport in India after becoming suspiciouslsquoQuantity too lessrsquoOn Wednesday Justice Manish Pitale who presided over the case granted bail after noting that the quantity of drugs involvedmdash500 grams of ganjamdashwas relatively small and the charge sheet had already been filed The court observed that the accused had been in custody for over 17 months and given the quantity of contraband continued detention was unnecessaryThe defence advocate Sangram Jadhav who appeared for Bhobhate and advocate Aruna Pai appeared for Pai have argued that since the case involved a small quantity of drugs it should be tried in a Metropolitan Magistratersquos court rather than a Sessions Court They pointed out that both accused had already been in custody for a significant period ldquoThe court granted bail as the accused have been in jail for over a year in a case involving a small quantity of drugsrdquo said Advocate Jadhav while speaking with midday