Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The pre-arrest bail application filed by Additional Tehsildar Nitin Garje, one of the accused in a bribery case involving a plot area correction hearing in Mitmita, was rejected on Monday by District and Sessions Judge N M Jamadar.
Earlier, two other accused arrested in the case, Nitin Chavan and Sohel Zubair Bahashwan, had been sent to judicial custody after the completion of their police custody.
Case Background
The complainant and their relatives owned plots in Mitmita, and the area correction files (5 in total) had been pending for hearing at the Additional Tehsildar’s office since December 2024. When the complainant visited the office in April 2025 to follow up, Nitin Chavan, acting on behalf of the Additional Tehsildar, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 60,000 per file. On May 13, the complainant filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). After verification, the ACB laid a trap and on May 15, arrested Bahashwan while accepting the bribe, along with Chavan. Since then, Garje has been absconding.
Hearing and Court Order
To avoid arrest, Garje had submitted a bail application. During the hearing, Assistant Public Prosecutor Raju Pahadiya argued that illegal financial transactions had been conducted through Nitin Chavan on Garje’s behalf. Previous offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act had been registered. Investigations into benami properties, extortion from mining businesses, and bribery from witnesses were ongoing. CCTV footage and seized files provided clear evidence of the accused’s intent. Taking these factors into consideration, the court denied the pre-arrest bail of Garje.