· Chavan also stated that the dispute appears to be civil, and that a civil suit has been filed.
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has granted interim protection to former Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Akhtar Hasan Rizvi in a civil case. He applied to the high court for bail after a sessions court judge denied his plea on January 7.The case against Rizvi is based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2013 regarding the shop premises that Rizvi’s company was to build.While opposing any relief being granted to Rizvi, government pleader SV Gavand stated that on November 3, 2022, Rizvi travelled to London for medical treatment on the basis of some permission granted by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Economic Offence Wing. Gavand stated that Rizvi had stated that he would return by November 21.Rizvi’s lawyers, Rajiv Chavan and Mujahid Ansari, told the court that he will return to Mumbai on or before February 15. They also stated that the sessions court granted Rizvi interim protection while his anticipatory bail petition was pending.Chavan also stated that the dispute appears to be civil, and that a civil suit has been filed. Justice Karnik, on the other hand, stated that “all of these contentions will be tested after I hear from advocates and Gavand on the next date, upon the applicant’s return to India.”Given that Rizvi is 81 years old and suffering from numerous medical conditions, Justice Karnik decided to grant him “limited interim protection” until February 27, the next date of hearing.The complainant, Junaid Khan, a Bandra resident, claimed to have invested Rs 5.60 crore in commercial office premises but later discovered that the project had been converted into a residential complex and thus filed a complaint.In his plea agreement seeking protection from arrest, Rizvi claimed that, due to his age, he was not actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and that his son Abis was in charge. Abis was killed in a terror attack in Turkey in 2017,
