Mumbai: A special court on Friday granted bail to court clerk Chandrakant Vasudev, who was allegedly caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh on Nov 11. The bribe was purportedly meant for an additional sessions judge, Ejazuddin Salauddin Kazi, who is not arrested. The prosecution opposed the plea. Vasudev, 40, was a clerk-typist at the civil sessions court, Mazgaon. Kazi is accused, along with his court clerk Chandrakant Vasudev, of seeking a Rs 15 lakh bribe from a litigant for a favourable order in a property dispute. Recently, the Bombay High Court granted the ACB permission to proceed against Kazi.This was Vasudev’s second bail plea. Vasudev cited his month-long incarceration. He also submitted that his custody is not required for further investigations. The court ordered Vasudev’s release upon the execution of a personal bond and sureties (SB) of Rs 1 lakh. To facilitate his immediate release, the judge permitted the accused to furnish a provisional cash bail of the same amount, granting him a three-week window to finalise the formal solvent sureties. The Registrar of the Sessions Court was directed to accept the cash deposit even after standard treasury hours.While granting liberty, the court imposed several conditions. Vasudev must provide permanent address proof and his mobile number to the investigating officer (IO). Any change in these details must be immediately reported to both the IO and the court. The accused is mandated to attend the ACB office in Worli every Friday between 3 and 5 pm until the chargesheet is filed. He is prohibited from leaving the country without the court’s permission. Vasudev has been ordered not to make any direct or indirect inducements, threats, or promises to anyone involved in the case.The chain of events that led to the ACB trap began on Sept 9. According to the ACB’s remand plea, on this date, the complainant’s colleague attended a hearing in a long-standing property dispute. On Sept 12, Vasudev initially demanded Rs 25 lakh. He is alleged to have claimed that Rs 10 lakh was for himself and Rs 15 lakh for the judge. Vasudev continued to pursue the demand, eventually bringing the final bribe amount down to Rs 15 lakh on Sept 13. On Nov 8, Vasudev allegedly warned the complainant’s colleague that the case would go against him if the money wasn’t paid. Refusing to pay, the complainant went to the cops. tnn
