Jain Housing Constructions Ltd MD's anticipatory bail cancelled

The Madras High Court on Tuesday cancelled the inter-state anticipatory bail granted by it to managing director of Jain Housing Constructions Limited Sandeep Mehta in a case filed in Kerala.

Justice C V Kartikeyan allowed an appeal by the Tamil Nadu government seeking cancellation of the bail filed after the Kerala Police approached it citing the pending case based on a complaint from a resident of a housing complex built by the firm in Kochi.

The complex is facing demolition for coastal regulation norm violations.

Mehta is the first accused in a case registered by the Panangad police on a petition filed by a resident of Jain Coral Cove apartment, one of the four waterfront residential complexes that have been ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court for violation of coastal zone regulation norms.

Public Prosecutor A Natarajan objected to the four weeks inter-state anticipatory bail granted earlier, saying Mehta having offices in Kerala and several other states across the country cannot pick a court seeking the relief.

The appeal was filed after the Kerala Crime Branch ADGP wrote to Tamil Nadu Advocate General to initiate steps for cancellation of the anticipatory bail.

Mehta moved the high court with a modification petition, saying he had mentioned the crime number wrongly.

When the appeal and the modification plea came up for hearing on Tuesday, the public prosecutor submitted that the accused had suppressed certain facts in the affidavit.

He had constructed several apartments in the coastal region in Kerala and the apex court had directed the state government to demolish the entire building constructed by the Jain Housing Group in the coastal region and also to recover the cost incurred from the company.

Accepting the arguments, Justice Kartikeyan cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to Mehta.