Gujarat court grants anticipatory bail to journalist Mahesh Langa in cheating case

A city civil and sessions court in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on November 25 granted anticipatory bail to The Hindu journalist Mahesh Langa in a case involving allegations that Langa cheated a businessman out of ₹28 lakhs.

Additional Sessions judge HG Pandya allowed the anticipatory bail plea after noting that Langa was a local resident who had deep roots in society and was, therefore, unlikely to abscond. The trial court also noted that there was unexplained delay in lodging the cheating case.

"Considering the fact that the First Informant has not assigned any reason for delay in lodging the complaint, I (am) inclined to exercise discretionary power in favour of the present Applicant, by allowing the present anticipatory bail," the court said.

The trial court further considered the fact that the maximum punishment that could be imposed for the alleged offence in this case was seven years of imprisonment.

Moreover, the judge observed that the dispute appeared to be civil in nature since it concerned the payment of money.

Langa is currently in judicial custody at the Sabarmati Central Jail in connection with an alleged GST scam. His bail application in this case is pending before the Gujarat High Court.

The present case concerns a first information report (FIR) filed by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), on a complaint by one, Pranay Shah, the owner of Khushi Advertising Ideas Pvt Ltd.

Shah claimed that he met Mahesh Langa at a coffee shop in Bodakdev a year and a half ago, when Langa allegedly introduced himself as a journalist with influential political and bureaucratic connections.

Langa is further alleged to have promised to help publish "positive news" about Shah's clients in newspapers and arranged meetings with media personnel in Delhi. Shah claimed that he transferred ₹28 lakhs to Langa's account on March 16 and June 6, 2024 for these services.

Langa denied that allegations of fraud in his anticipatory bail plea and said that any amounts transferred to him by Shah were paid against services rendered as a consultant.

He added that he has evidence to support this claim on his mobile phone, but was unable to show it since it has been seized by the Police after his arrest in the GST evasion case.

Langa added that he is willing to deposit ₹28 lakhs with the trial court to show his bona fides (good intent) in the matter. The State opposed Langa's pre-arrest bail plea, arguing that custodial interrogation was necessary in the matter.

The Court, however, eventually allowed Langa's anticipatory bail plea on the condition that he submit a bail bond of ₹15,000 with one surety of like amount, among other bail conditions.

Advocate AJ Yagnik appeared for Langa.

[Read Order]