Mluru City Corporation Health Officer Granted Anticipatory Bail in the 2019 Cheating Case
Mangaluru: The I Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mangaluru, H.S. Mallikarjuna Swamy, has granted anticipatory bail to Mangaluru City Corporation Health Officer Manjayya A. Shetty, in connection with a cheating case being investigated by the Surathkal police station. In a complaint filed in 2019, businessman Lawrance Paul said he purchased six cents of land in Iddya in 2012 that had a tiled roof house bearing door number 6-54/2. Adjacent to his land was the land of his brother Dany Antony Paul has a building bearing door number 6-54.
Dany Antony Paul leased it out to one Anil Hegde in 2014 and the latter was running Prem Prasad bottling firm by obtaining a trade licence from the MCC. Lawrance Paul accused Hegde of fabricating documents and obtaining a trade licence from the Mangaluru City Corporation in 2016-17 by showing his ( Lawrance Paul’s) building. The same licence was renewed for 2017-18 and 2018-19. He further accused Hegde and his relative Shilpa Hegde of cheating him by paying property tax on his building for 2017 and 2018.
It is learnt that The health section in the MCC issues trade licence and also renews it. Dr Shetty heads the health section. Following the issuance of notice by the Surathkal Sub Inspector under Section 41 (1) (A) of the Criminal Procedure Code (any police officer may without an order by Magistrate and a warrant, arrest any person), Dr Shetty applied Section 438 of Cr.PC before the court seeking bail in anticipation of arrest. Granting anticipatory bail, the judge, in an order dated 4 August 42023 said the investigation agency has to prove the participation of the petitioner (Dr Shetty) in the alleged crime.
Stating that custodial interrogation of Dr Shetty is not necessary in the case, the judge said the accusation of cheating and fabrication of records has to be proved by the prosecution in the full-fledged trial. Moreover, anticipatory bail has already been granted to Hegde and Ms Shilpa Hegde. The judge ordered enlarging Dr Shetty on bail in the event of his arrest in the case on the execution of personal bond for a sum of Rs50,000 with one surety for the like sum. He was asked to appear before the jurisdictional magistrate within 30 days from the date of this order. Dr Shetty should not tamper with the prosecution witnesses and hamper the investigation process, the judge said.
