Nagpur: Former Minister Sunil Kedar has filed a petition in the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court after being denied the opportunity for an oral hearing by the Maharashtra State Cooperative Department in connection with the Nagpur District Bank bond scam case. The High Court has provided relief to Kedar by ordering the Cooperative Department to conduct an oral hearing on Monday, September 2.
Cooperative Minister Dilip Walse-Patil had previously directed Sunil Kedar, the main accused in the scam, to submit a written response regarding the recovery of funds within 15 days, as stated on August 7. The Cooperative Department had indicated that a decision on Kedar’s appeal would be announced after reviewing the written submission. Kedar then petitioned the High Court, seeking permission for an oral hearing. Justice N. Borkar’s bench heard the petition.
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Wednesday 05 Feb. 2025
Kedar is accused of embezzling over ₹150 crore from the district bank. In response to an order issued by the authorized officer on June 30, 2022, Kedar filed an appeal with the Cooperative Minister. A hearing on the matter took place in Mumbai on August 7.
Kedar had requested an adjournment of the hearing, but the Cooperative Minister, after considering various factors, rejected the request and issued related directives. Kedar’s lawyer, Ajay Ghare, had requested an oral argument before the Cooperative Minister, which was also denied. Disappointed by this, Kedar approached the High Court for relief.
In the related criminal case, an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court had sentenced Kedar on December 22, 2023, to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹12.5 lakh. Kedar has appealed this decision in the Sessions Court and is currently out on interim bail. Meanwhile, Kedar had sought a stay on the conviction from both the High Court and the Supreme Court, but both courts refused to intervene.
Kedar has already filed an appeal in the Nagpur District and Sessions Court, and the Supreme Court has directed the Sessions Court to deliver a verdict on this appeal before September 30.
