Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Accused in bail plea claims ‘made scapegoat, case surrounded by political pressure’

Khan is a co-director in a company where suspended IPS officer Quaiser Khalid’s wife was also a director. Khalid was the GRP commissioner who allegedly approved the hoarding without issuing tenders.

Denying this, Khan has said in his bail application that he had no role in the allotment, construction or commercialisation of the hoarding. Khan claimed that Khalid had allotted the hoarding to Ego Media without altering any conditions imposed in an agreement between another company and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd in 2021.

He further claimed that Khalid was transferred in December 2022 and was succeeded by Ravindra Shisve, during whose term the hoarding was constructed and the rent was accepted by the commissioner’s office.

Shisve, who was the GRP commissioner at the time of the incident, had then said that the hoarding was approved during the tenure of his predecessor.

“It is therefore clear that the applicant (Khan) had no role in the allotment or construction or commercialisation of the hoarding that has fallen down as the prosecution has not submitted any proof of the link between the commissioner of police during whose tenure the hoarding was proposed, constructed and commercialised,” the bail application filed by Khan’s lawyer Sana Raees Khan said.

It added that four others arrested in the case earlier, including prime accused Ego Media’s Bhavesh Bhinde and Janhvi Marathe, have been granted bail and his custody is not required.

“…the role of the present applicant is on far better footing than all four co-accused. As per prosecution, the role of the applicant is acting like a mediator between the commissioner of police and directors of Ego Media…the present case is surrounded by political pressure and media trial, attempting to blame the applicant for the alleged offence,” the plea states.

The prosecution opposed Khan’s bail plea stating that the probe is still on and that they have recorded statements of 16 persons, who said that Khan had directed that their bank accounts be used to transfer money and that cash from these accounts was withdrawn and handed over to Khan. The police claimed that there were transactions between Khan and Ego Media which he has not been able to explain. The court will decide on the bail application later this week.