A city court today rejected the bail pleas of the three accused in the Red Road hit-and-run case and extended their judicial remand till February 26.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Sanjay Ranjan Paul rejected the pleas of Sambia Sohrab, younger son of Trinamool Congress leader Mohammed Sohrab, Sonu alias Shanawaz Khan and Johnny and sent them to 14-day judicial custody.
The court also granted the police plea to conduct a Test Identification Parade (TIP) of the trio by an Air Force official, who was stuck in Manipur because of landslide and failed to appear in the TIP held here last week.
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Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud (21) was mowed down in the hit-and -run on January 13 at Red Road during a reheearsal of Republic Day parade.
The accused's counsel told the court that the TIP, conducted to identify the accused driving the Audi that mowed down Gaud was a "predestined mockery" and appealed for bail. They also contended that the investigations of Kolkata Police have failed to yield result which could prove any active role of the trio.
They alleged that police have failed to make any progress in their probe and bail should be granted to them.
Objecting to the plea, the public prosecutor said the investigations were at "a very very early stage" and granting bail would hamper investigation.
He sought permission for further interrogation of the trio in connection with the case.
The three have been booked under IPC sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 427 (mischief causing damage).
Sambia, who had confessed to the police that he was at the wheels of the Audi, was arrested from Park Circus in the city, while Sonu was arrested by Kolkata Police with support from Delhi Police from his maternal uncle's house in Delhi's Ajmeri Gate area. He was brought to the city on transit remand.
Johnny, who was not traceable since the incident, was arrested a few days later from a house in Ekbalpore area by city police.
(Reopens LGD 37)
The case emanated from complaints received by Registrar of Companies (RoC) in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs from investors who had alleged that Elder Pharmaceuticals had collected over Rs 175 crore from over 24,000 investors under Companies' Acceptance of Deposits Rule, CBI has said.
The company had allegedly lured them offering attractive rates of interest ranging from 9.5 per cent to 11.5 per cent on deposits ranging from a 12-36 month period. Over 1,000 such complaints were made to RoC, they said.
The ministry had instituted an inspection by Regional Director (West) Mumbai which claimed the company had allegedly not kept 15 per cent of deposits in liquid form, accepted Rs 138 crore from other companies which was akin to accepting deposits among other acts which were against the law, it has said.
