The court noted that the bail applicant was in custody for over three years and the trial could not conclude within one year time frame fixed by HC, although only 8-10 witnesses were to be examined.
The ED arrested Sadanand Kadam last year while probing alleged money laundering connected to Sai Resort at Dapoli in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district.
The HC held that the right of the accused to claim default bail does not stand ground after the chargesheet is filed for offences under IPC within stipulated time, only because MCOCA was invoked after filing chargesheet.
Police, meanwhile, opposed the applicant's bail plea, claiming that serious accusations were levelled against the applicant, who was the "mastermind" in the case, and had forced the victim to have sexual relations with her son-in-law and others mentioned in the case.