Loharia murder case: Navi Mumbai builder's bail plea rejected

Observing that investigation in the murder case of builder S K Loharia had reached a crucial stage, the Bombay High Court today rejected anticipatory bail plea of Navi Mumbai builder Suresh Bijlani, who is fearing arrest.
The bail petition of Bijlani was rejected by Justice R C Chavan, who accepted Maharashtra Government's argument that investigations were at a crucial stage and custodial interrogation of the suspects was needed.
Public prosecutor Reveti Dhere and Usha Kejriwal argued that the slain builder's son had received death threats and he had made a statement that his family strongly believed that the builders' lobby was behind the murder of Loharia who was shot dead in broad daylight on February 16 in Navi Mumbai.

Besides, Bijlani had gone underground after the killing of Loharia and was not available to police for questioning, they submitted.
They also said that the victim had made an oral dying declaration before he succumbed to injuries, implicating some persons and hence custodial interrogation of suspects was very necessary at this stage. They said petitioner Bijlani was also a suspect.
Bijlani, on the other hand, pleaded that he had no role to play in the murder of Loharia and that he and some other builders had already been questioned by Navi Mumbai police after the builder's murder.

Except for a statement of an arrested accused against Bijlani, there was no other material with police to implicate him in the crime, his lawyer argued.

The family of the slain builder was making baseless allegations against Bijlani, the petitioner's lawyer submitted while seeking anticipatory bail.
Bijlani had earlier applied for anticipatory bail in sessions court at nearby Thane which rejected his plea. Being aggrieved, he moved the Bombay High Court which too rejected his petition today.