NCP leader gets pre-arrest bail in loan scam case

Mumbai: A court in Beed district of Maharashtra has granted anticipatory bail to NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, in connection with a loan scam.

"Munde was granted pre-arrest bail last Friday after we argued that he was not absconding and custodial interrogation was not necessary in the case," his lawyer Aniket Nikam said today.

A case was registered in 2013 at Parli police station in Beed against Munde and others. It is alleged that Sant Jagmitra Cooperative Cotton Mill, of which Munde was one of the directors, took loans of over Rs 10 crore from the Beed District Cooperative Bank, and failed to repay them.

In the application, Munde said that he was the Leader of the Opposition, and if he was arrested, it would damage his political career.

Nikam argued that the cooperative mill which took the loans, had paid a substantial amount towards the interest, and also mortgaged its property with the bank.

Considering this, the intention to cheat the bank was not proved, the lawyer said.

Additional District Judge N S Kole accepted the argument and granted anticipatory bail to Munde.