SC rejects Taurani’s bail

In the light of controversy with public prosecutor V T Tulpule, today’s order is being seen as a major victory for the Mumbai policeWhile setting aside the High Court order, the judges said, “Normally this court does not interfere with orders granting bail, but considering the nature and gravity of the offence alleged against the respondent (Taurani) and the materials collected against him during the investigation, we are of the opinion that this is a fit case where the order of the High Court has got to be set aside to prevent miscarriage of justice.”

Joint Commissioner, crime, R S Sharma who had vociferously protested the manner in which bail was procured by Taurani, had flown to Delhi especially for the SLP.The Supreme Court order set aside the ground given by the High Court in granting bail that remand applications by the investigating agency did not name Taurani as a conspirator. Holding that the investigating agency “is not required to state in such an application, the materials, if any, collected against a person who is yet to be arrested”, the court said the non-disclosure of Taurani’s name “could not and ought not have been made a ground by the High Court for disbelieving the prosecution and for that matter granting bail to him”.Rejecting the other ground canvassed by the High Court in granting the bail that the only evidence against Taurani was that he paid Rs 25 lakh to the contract killers, the apex court held, “The above circumstance incriminates the respondent in a large way and we find that the investigating agency has collected other incriminating materials also against the respondent to make out a strong prime-facie case against him.”Earlier, the court rejected the arguments by senior counsel Rajendra Singh, appearing for Taurani, that the Mumbai police, had sought to