Graft-tainted trio granted bail

The CBI special court on Wednesday granted bail to Pradeep Vishnu Angachekar,59,Vinaya Vidyadhar Vasudeo Joshi,56,and Ajay Kale,45, who were arrested on Tuesday for accepting a bribe of Rs 1.25 lakh and not levying service tax of Rs 15 lakh on a multi-purpose hall in Chakan.

The CBI special court on Wednesday granted bail to Pradeep Vishnu Angachekar,59,Vinaya Vidyadhar Vasudeo Joshi,56,and Ajay Kale,45, who were arrested on Tuesday for accepting a bribe of Rs 1.25 lakh and not levying service tax of Rs 15 lakh on a multi-purpose hall in Chakan.

The court granted them bail against a personal bond of Rs 25,000 each with the condition that they will cooperate in investigations and not of not tamper with evidence. The CBIs Anti-Corruption Bureau had arrested the trio on Tuesday.

Police Inspector (CBI) N M Parab produced assistant commissioner Angachekar,superintendent Joshi and inspector Kale seeking their custody for three days. CBI special prosecutors Vivek Saxena and Ayub Pathan told the court that they are required to take their voice samples,specimen handwriting and examine documents seized from their houses.

However,the court remanded them in magisterial custody following which they applied for bail.

The three allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh and were arrested from their office in Akurdi,reportedly accepting the first installment,after they agreed to reduce the demanded amount to Rs 2.5 lakh.

According to the prosecutors they initially demanded the bribe for not levying service tax of Rs 9.31 lakh and 25 per cent penalty for a period between 2006-11,which came to about Rs 15 lakh. The CBI recovered an unaccounted Rs 2.62 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively from residences of Kale and Joshi.

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