The Bombay High Court has turned down the bail application filed by artist Chintan Upadhyay on the grounds that his conduct before and after the double murder of his estranged wife Hema and her lawyer was found to be suspicious.
Upadhyay who is alleged to have masterminded the murder of his wife Hema and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani had moved the plea claiming that there was hardly any direct evidence with the prosecution to prove his role in the entire conspiracy. Advocate Raja Thackeray appearing for the accused argued “The prime accused Vidhyadhar Rajbhar is still absconding and thus Chintan should be released on bail. Moreover, the statement of co-accused Pradeep Rajbhar against Chintan was retracted by him and thus it did not hold strong."
Public Prosecutor Veera Shinde opposed the plea on the ground that the co-accused statement lays down that the entire plot of the crime was hatched by Chintan and was one of the prime evidence against him. Also, the circumstance of the accused not paying maintenance amount to his wife and giving evasive replies when called during the initial probe, shows his conduct. The court accepted the arguments of the prosecution and thus rejected the plea.
Chintan was arrested on December 28, 2015, in connection with the murder of his estranged wife Hema and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani.
Four other accused in the murders — Pradip Rajbhar, Vijay Rajbhar, Shivkumar Rajbhar and Azaad Rajbhar are also currently lodged in judicial custody.
However, the main accused, Vidyadhar Rajhbhar, is still at large.
Artist Hema Upadhyay and her advocate Harish Bhambhani were found dead in a drain in Dhanukar wadi at Kandivali west on December 11, 2015.
