Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 11: The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a woman accused of conspiring with her alleged lover and two others to murder her husband and dump his body in front of a moving train between Rabale and Ghansoli railway stations in Navi Mumbai.

Justice Shyam C Chandak granted bail to Puja Vijay Chavan, who had been in jail for around 22 months in connection with the case.

According to the prosecution, Puja was allegedly in a romantic relationship with co-accused Bhushan Brahmane, a resident of Dhule, since 2022. She had allegedly told him about the ill-treatment she faced at the hands of her husband, Vijay Chavan, and expressed her desire to get rid of him.

The prosecution claimed that the two conspired to murder Vijay and allegedly involved Prakash, a relative of Puja, and Pravin Patil, a friend of Brahmane. Puja is accused of being part of the alleged conspiracy.

The prosecution alleged that on December 31, 2024, Prakash took Vijay in his car on the pretext of consuming liquor. Brahmane and Pravin Patil subsequently joined them. Vijay was allegedly strangled inside the car, and his body was thrown in front of a moving train between Rabale and Ghansoli railway stations.

Opposing the bail plea, the prosecution relied on call detail records (CDRs) and internet usage records of the accused. It claimed that Puja, Prakash and Brahmane had remained in constant contact before and around the time of the incident, and argued that the phone records prima facie indicated Puja's role in the alleged conspiracy.

Puja's lawyer, Sana Raees Khan, argued that there was no material to show that her client had induced or facilitated her husband's meeting with the other accused on the pretext of consuming liquor. She further submitted that a call detail record showing contact with a co-accused around the time of the incident, in the absence of a transcript, was insufficient to incriminate her client.

The court observed that, apart from the CDRs between Puja and Prakash, there was no other evidence indicating that she had facilitated her husband's meeting with the co-accused or participated in discussions relating to the alleged conspiracy.

It held that the call records alone were insufficient to prima facie conclude that Puja had conspired with the other accused to commit the murder.

The court also noted that the prosecution had cited 93 witnesses and that the trial was unlikely to conclude in the foreseeable future. Taking into account Puja's custody of around 22 months and the fact that she has two children aged 11 and seven, the court found it appropriate to grant her bail.

Puja has been directed to execute a personal recognisance bond of Rs 1 lakh, along with one or two sureties of a similar amount.

She must report to Vashi Railway Police Station on the first day of every third month between 11 am and 2 pm until the conclusion of the trial. She has also been directed to attend court proceedings unless exempted, refrain from tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses, and provide her contact number and residential address to the investigating officer.

The High Court clarified that its observations were confined to the bail application and would not influence the trial court's decision on the merits of the case.