923-ABA-2664-2026.DOC IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION ANTICIPATORY BAIL APPLICATION NO. 2664 OF 2026 Pratik Jayesh Yewale …Applicant Versus The State of Maharashtra …Respondent Mr. Vivek Nandkishor Arote, a/w Mr. Akshay Dingale, for the Applicant. Ms. S.M. Yadav, APP, for the Respondent-State. MR.Saheba Narayan Babar, ASI, attached to Rajgad Police Station, Pune Gramin, present. CORAM: MADHAV J. JAMDAR, J. DATED : 6th OCTOBER 2026 PC:- 1. Heard Mr. Arote, learned Counsel appearing for the Applicant and Ms. Yadav, learned APP appearing for the Respondent-State. 2. By this application the Applicant is seeking pre-arrest bail in connection with CR. No. 35 of 2019, registered with Rajgad Police Station, Pune, for the offences punishable under Section 395 of Indian Penal Code. 3. Mr. Arote, learned Counsel appearing for the Applicant, submits that there are total five Accused out of which four have Page 1 Aftab S. 923-ABA-2664-2026.DOC been arrested and released on Regular Bail. Charge-sheet has also been filed against them. He submits that, although there are 14 antecedents they have been disclosed and all the antecedents are registered in the year 2019 or earlier. 4. On the other hand, Ms. Yadav, Learned APP strongly opposes the Application. She submits that Applicant is involved in the crime and as there are 14 antecedents the Anticipatory Bail Application be dismissed. 5. The Prosecution case is set out in Paragraph No. 2 a to f of the Anticipatory Bail Application which reads as under: a. It is alleged by the complainant (Sanket Vishwas Hande) that on 18.11.2024 at about 10:30 p.m., after having dinner, the complainant went near Trimurti General Stores in his village. At about 10:45 p.m., the complainant and his friend Asif Afhtar Mulla were sitting on a bench outside the said shop and were conversing. It is further alleged that, at that time, two unknown Page 2 Aftab S. 923-ABA-2664-2026.DOC persons arrived on a Pulsar motorcycle and asked the complainant and his friend for directions towards Baneshwar. After obtaining the directions, they allegedly inquired about the availability of Goa gutkha and thereafter, left the spot. b. It is further alleged that after some time, the said two persons returned along with three other persons, thereby making a total of five persons, who allegedly came on motorcycles. c. It is further alleged that the said persons stopped near the complainant and his friend and questioned them about their presence at the spot. It is further alleged that the said persons assaulted the complainant and his friend. One of the alleged assailants is stated to have taken out a sharp-edged weapon/'Koyta' (sickle) concealed in his jacket and allegedly placed the same against the complainant's neck. Page 3 Aftab S. 923-ABA-2664-2026.DOC d. It is alleged that, when the complainant and his friend resisted, two of the persons picked up wooden sticks lying nearby and assaulted them. That during the said incident, the complainant sustained an injury to his right hand due to the alleged assault with the sharp weapon. e. It is further alleged that the accused persons gold chain weighing thereafter snatched a gold chain weighing approximately four tolas, valued at about 1,20,000/-, from the complainant and fled from the spot on their motorcycles towards Pune. f. It is further stated that owing to fear, the complainant did not immediately disclose the incident to his family. Subsequently, upon being questioned by his father regarding the missing gold chain, the complainant allegedly disclosed the incident and thereafter approached the police station and lodged the present complaint. Based on these allegations which are more detailed in Page 4 Aftab S. 923-ABA-2664-2026.DOC the aforesaid FIR came to be registered with the Rajgad Police Station, Pune. 6. Perusal of the record shows that the offence is registered against unknown persons. Out of five Accused four Accused have been arrested and released on Regular Bail and the charge-sheet is also filed against them. Therefore, the investigation is practically completed even against the Applicant. 7. Although there are 14 antecedents registered against the Applicant all the offences were registered in the year 2019 or prior thereto. 8. Thus, case is made out for grant of Anticipatory Bail, however, stringent conditions are required to be imposed. 9. In view thereof, the following order is passed: O R D E R a. In the event of arrest of the Applicant- Pratik Jayesh Yewale in connection with C.R. No. 35 of 2019 registered with the Rajgad Page 5 Aftab S. 923-ABA-2664-2026.DOC Police Station, Pune the Applicant is directed to be released on bail on his furnishing P.R. Bond in the sum of Rs.50,000/- with one or two solvent sureties in the like amount. b. The applicant shall attend the concerned police station once in a week on every monday between 10:00 a.m. to 02:00 p.m. till filing of the charge-sheet against the applicant and if the charge-sheet is filed, once within 15 days i.e on every first and third sunday between 11:00 a.m. to 01:00 p.m. In addition, the Applicant shall attend the concerned Police Station as and when called. c. The Applicant shall furnish his cell phone number and residential address to the Investigating Officer and shall keep the same updated, in case of any change thereto. d. The Applicant shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat, or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade such a Page 6 Aftab S. 923-ABA-2664-2026.DOC person from disclosing the facts to the Court or to any Police personnel. e. The Applicant shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence and shall not contact or influence the Complainant or any witness in any manner. f. The Applicant shall not leave India without prior permission of the Court. 10. The Anticipatory Bail Application is disposed of accordingly. [MADHAV J. JAMDAR, J.] Page 7 Aftab S.