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Journalism of Courage
A SESSIONS court has rejected the bail application of three staffers of Byculla women’s jail arrested in connection with the alleged murder of inmate Manjula Shetye. The court rejected bail to prison guards Vasima Shaikh, Bindu Naikode and Surekha Kakad. Three others, jailor Manisha Pokhakhar, Shital Shegaonkar and Arti Shingane, had withdrawn their bail pleas.
Shetye was assaulted inside the jail on June 23 allegedly by the six accused before she died. While arguing for bail, the three accused claimed that Shetye’s death was not an incident of custodial death and she had passed away due to prior illnesses she had. Their advocate, Vaibhav Bagade, also submitted that other inmates had “cooked up” the story of assault against the staffers after an FIR of rioting was registered against them on June 24 by Nagpada police.
Bagade claimed that as the first FIR to be registered was of rioting following a protest in the jail by the inmates, the police were pressured into taking a case against the staffers.
The defence also argued that the “injuries” on the body of Shetye were not due to an assault but caused by “lividity”. Special public prosecutor Vidya Kasle opposed the bail, claiming that Shetye had suffered 14 injuries due to the “brutal” assault on her by the six accused inside Byculla women’s jail triggered by an incident over distribution of eggs and bread that was her responsibility as a prison warder.
The detailed order rejecting bail passed by Judge Shayana Patil will be available later this week.
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