3 years on, forensic report on Amruta Fadnavis extortion case still pending: Court

Over the past three years, the court has repeatedly sent reminders to the police, and even issued summons to the Director of Forensic Science Laboratory, Kalina, in January 2025, seeking production of the reports.

“Matter is now ready for hearing. Learned SPP (Special Public Prosecutor) on opening of the case…and on point of framing of charge…It is submitted by the SPP that the examination/analysis report of the exhibits referred to the DFSL, Kalina, Mumbai has not been received, nor have the exhibits been received; therefore, matter be kept for production of the same. Issue witness summons to the Director of DFSL, Kalina, till the next date of hearing,” the court had said on January 16, 2025.

Subsequently, in September 2025, the court directed the FSL authority to expedite the reports on a priority basis, stating that they have been pending for over two years, but court records show that a report has not been received.

In 2024, when Aniksha, a law graduate, sought return of her electronic gadgets, including an iPhone and an iPad, seized during the probe, the Mumbai Police had opposed it, citing ongoing data analysis at the forensic laboratory. They warned that returning the devices could lead to tampering or loss of data, including sensitive and hidden files.

The State FSL reported a backlog of 8,655 cases and requested additional time to complete the analysis of Jaisinghani’s gadgets, the police had then said. The court had then rejected her plea, while requesting that the report be submitted on priority.

Aniksha, who has since completed her law degree, sought a return of her passport in May to pursue higher education in the UK, which the court conditionally allowed. As per her bail conditions, she must seek permission from the court before leaving the country. She has yet to make such a plea.

According to the police, in 2023, Aniksha, posing as a designer, had gained access to Amruta and subsequently recorded videos and audio of their meetings while attempting to blackmail her. The police claimed that Aniksha worked with her father to plan and execute the conspiracy, where they first tried to offer Amruta a bribe of Rs 1 crore, seeking her intervention to drop the pending cases against her father.

The police claimed that after Amruta refused and blocked her phone, Aniksha then threatened her through the videos and sought Rs 10 crore as extortion money. The accused are currently out on bail.