Maharashtra IPS officer’s husband Purshottam Chavan denied bail in multi-crore cheating case

MUMBAI: The 47th Metropolitan Magistrate court rejected the bail application of Purshottam Chavan, husband of an IPS officer, in an alleged multi-crore cheating case.Opposing the plea, counsel for the complainant, Mohan Tekavde, argued that the accused had not only cheated members of the public but also caused substantial loss to the state exchequer and govt treasury by forging official documents through a systematic and well-planned conspiracyHe submitted that in view of the gravity of financial fraud and economic offences, the principle of “bail, not jail” cannot be mechanically applied, relying on recent observations of the Supreme Court.Chavan had sought bail on medical grounds, stating that he had been in custody for over two-and-a-half years and had already been granted bail in a related Enforcement Directorate case.Chavan has been charged, among other provisions, under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, which pertains to forgery of valuable security. The case stems from two complaints lodged by Sion businessman Kedar Degvekar, who alleged that he was defrauded of Rs 3.37 crore on the promise of a govt quota flat at half the market rate.