SC grants bail to TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale in alleged misappropriation of funds case

Supreme Court grants bail to TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale in alleged misappropriation of funds case.

A bench led by Justice BR Gavai granted bail after noting that he was under custody for nearly 108 days.

On December 29, 2022, the TMC spokesperson was detained by Gujarat police in Delhi and petitioned the Supreme Court in response to the Gujarat high court's refusal of his release in February.

Also Read: Assam: Trinamool Congress urges election commission to suspend delimitation exercise in state

The case is about the alleged misuse of money he collected through crowdfunding during the Covid pandemic, where he allegedly collected money from over 1,700 people via a crowdfunding platform called "Our Democracy" that was supposed to be used for legal aid, journalism, and other public purposes.

"He (Gokhale) is known for his right to information (RTI) campaigns," the bench said. "Why are you keeping him locked up?"

Senior counsel Siddharth Agarwal, who is representing Gokhale, stated that the latter has been imprisoned for 109 days. The Supreme Court sent a notice to Gujarat police in March in response to Gokhale's bail application.

A lady who claimed to have contributed Rs 500 to the TMC spokesperson's crowdfunding project filed a complaint against him.

She charged Gokhale with forgery, criminal breach of trust, and cheating, all of which are punishable offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).