Bombay High Court

RAMBHAU NAMDEV KONDHRE AND ANRversusSTATE OF MAHARASHTRA

Decided: 28 September 2026
Disposal: Disposed Off

Holding

Anticipatory bail is granted to the applicants as they are prima facie victims and not involved in the alleged offences.

Summary

The applicants, owners of a property and former partners in Venkateshwara Construction Firm, filed an anticipatory bail application under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Samhita, 2023, in connection with offences under the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act, 1963 and the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. They alleged that the developers (accused nos. 1‑4) cheated both the applicants and flat purchasers by misusing funds and failing to deliver possession, making the applicants victims rather than perpetrators. The State opposed bail, emphasizing the seriousness of the alleged cheating and the pending charges. The Court examined the partnership arrangement, the applicants' retirement from the firm, and the lack of any incriminating conduct by the applicants, noting the senior citizen status of one applicant and a prior unrelated antecedent. Concluding that the applicants were not prima facie involved in the crime, the Court granted anticipatory bail with standard conditions.

Issues considered

Whether the applicants, as owners and former partners, are liable for the offences alleged against the developers under the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act and the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Whether anticipatory bail under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Samhita, 2023, is appropriate in the present facts.
Whether the senior citizen status and prior antecedent of Applicant No.1 affect the grant of bail.

Legislation cited

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Samhita, 2023 — s. 482
Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — s. 316(5), 318(4), 3(5)
Indian Penal Code — s. 306, 34, 504
Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act, 1963 — s. 13, 14

Subjects

anticipatory bail
section 482
partnership dispute
property development
cheating
senior citizen
Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act
Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita
criminal procedure

Judgment

41.ABA-2675.26..DOC

Digitally signed IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
by PRACHI
PRACHI PRANESH
PRANESH NANDIWADEKAR
NANDIWADEKAR
Date: 2026.10.01
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
14:19:39 +0530
ANTICIPATORY BAIL APPLICATION NO. 2675 OF 2026

Rambhau Namdev Kondhre & Anr. … Applicants
V/s.
State of Maharashtra …. Respondent
______________________
Mr. Vipul Dushing a/w Mr. Yash Surana, Mr. Sarvesh Nikam and
Mr. Ghogare, for the Applicants.
Ms. M. R. Tidke, APP, for the Respondent-State.
Mr. M. V. Kadam, Police Hawaldar, EOW, Pune City present.
______________________

CORAM : MADHAV J. JAMDAR, J.
DATED : 28 SEPTEMBER 2026
P. C. :-

1. Heard learned counsel appearing for the Applicants and

learned APP for the State.

2. By this application filed under Section 482 of the Bharatiya

Nagarik Suraksha Samhita, 2023, the Applicants are seeking pre-

arrest bail in connection with C.R. No.328 of 2026 for the offences

punishable under Sections 13 and 14 of the Maharashtra

Ownership Flats Act, 1963 and Sections 316(5), 318(4) and 3(5)

of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).

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41.ABA-2675.26..DOC

3. It is the submission of the learned counsel appearing for the

Applicants that the Applicants i.e accused nos.5 and 6 are the

owners of the property which has been given for development to

accused nos.1 and 4. As per the F.I.R., the flat purchasers have not

been handed over possession of the flats within time limit and,

therefore, the offence is registered. He submits that the Applicants

are not involved in the crime. It is submitted that although for a

brief period, the owners were also lead partners of Venkateshwara

Construction Firm, who were developing the said property, the

Accused nos.1 to 4 failed to pay the total consideration to the

Applicants and therefore, the Applicants also have initiated

criminal proceedings where report has been filed by the police

stating that the Accused nos.1 to 4 have cheated these Applicants.

Applicant no.1 is a senior citizen of 71 years. There are no

antecedents against Applicant no.2. As far as Applicant no.1 is

concerned, there is one antecedent as his relative has died by

suicide and, therefore, an offence bearing C.R. No.746 of 2023 has

been registered against him under Sections 306, 504 read with

Section 34 of Indian Penal Code, 1860.

4. On the other hand, Ms. Tidke, learned APP for the State

strongly opposes the application. She submits that the Applicants

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41.ABA-2675.26..DOC

are the owners of the property and it has been given to Accused

nos.1 to 4 for development. Learned APP submitted that the

offence is very serious, as the flat purchasers have not been given

possession.

5. The prosecution case is set out in paragraph 4 of the order

dated 9 September 2026 passed by the learned Additional Sessions

Judge, Pune in Criminal Bail Application No. 4181 of 2026. Which

reads as under :-

“4. The informant lodged report alleging that since July 2020 till
lodging of the FIR, the builder, land owner and partners of
Venkateshwara Construction Firm and the Grand Project Survey
No.4/25 have received an amount of Rs.24,81,000/- from the
informant and other persons towards sell of the flat and assured them
that they will hand over possession of the flat till January 2023.
Moreover, the builder, land owner and partners have not completed the
construction work of the flats and utilised the amount for other project
for their personal profit and thus cheated the informant and others and
therefore the informant lodged report against accused, on the basis of
said report, present crime has been registered.”

6. However, it is required to be noted that the Applicants are

the owners of the property and entrusted the development work to

the Accused Nos. 1 to 4 on the basis of sharing 50% of the

consideration to be received from the flat purchasers and,

therefore, they have been made partners in partnership firm-

Venkateshwara Construction Firm. As they found that accused

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41.ABA-2675.26..DOC

nos.1 to 4 are cheating them as well as the flat purchasers, they

retired from the said partnership firm by Deed of Retirement dated

20 December 2023. Thereafter, they initially filed a complaint with

Ambegaon police station. However, as there was no response, they

filed a criminal application bearing No.1365 of 2026 under Section

175 (3) of the BNSS and order has been passed by the learned

Judicial Magistrate, First Class (JMFC) directing an enquiry under

Section 202 of the BNSS. The report which has been submitted to

the learned JMFC, Shivaji Nagar, Pune has been annexed at pages

65 to 72 of this Anticipatory Bail Application. The last paragraph of

said report dated 3 June 2026 is very relevant which reads as

under :-

"मं जुर नकाशा २०१८ पीएमआरडीए सॅ क्शनप्रमाणे वि कसकांनी ठरल्याप्रमाणे
ठरले ल्या े ळेत ०९ मजली वि"ल्डींग पु ण$ करणे अपे वि&त असताना "ां धकाम
वि हीत े ळेत पु ण$ केले ले नाही. तसे च १ ते ९ मजल्यावरील ५४ फ्लॅ ट कोंढरे
यांना करारानुसार दे णे अपे क्षि त असताना ८ फ्लॅ ट अगोदरच इतर ग्राहकाला
क्षिवकू न परत ते च फ्लॅ ट कोंढरे कुटूं क्षि'यांना परत दस्त करुन दे ऊन कोंढरे
कुटूं क्षि'यांची फसवणूक केली आहे . तसे च जागा मालक यांच्या मालकी हक्काची
व ता'े वक्षिहवाटीची उव0 क्षिरत १७ आर े तर् ाचा एफएसआई १०८५ चौमी हा
अक्षिक0टे क शेखर वाल्हेकर यांना क्षिवकसकांनी खोटी माक्षिहती दे वुन क्षिवकसक यांनी
मंजरु नकाशाप्रमाणे जमीन मालकांची मोठी फसवणु क करुन १०, ११ व्या
मजल्याकक्षिरता सदर एफएसआय वापरुन त्याची क्षिवक् री केली आहे . तसे च १०,११
वा मजला 'ांधकाम करण्यासंदर्भाा0 त जमीन मालकांना क्षिवश्वासात न घे ता,
त्यांची सहमती न घे ता व कोणताही मो'दला न दे ता क्षिशवाय १० व्या व ११ व्या
मजल्याच्या 'ांधकामाकक्षिरता मंजरु ी नसताना खोटी कागदपत्र जोडुन

Page 4
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41.ABA-2675.26..DOC

अॅॅगर् ीमें ट दु सेल करुन १० व्या व ११ व्या मजल्यावरील फ्लॅ ट ग्राहकांना
क्षिवकलेले आहे त. १० व्या व ११ व्या मजल्यावरील २२ सदक्षिनकांपैकी ५० टक्के
सदक्षिनका म्हणेच ११ सदक्षिनका या जागा मालकाच्या असतानाही २२ पै की १९
सदक्षिनका (सदक्षिनका क् र १००१, १००२, १००३, १००४, १००५, १००६, १००७, १००९,
१०१०, १०११, १०१२, ११०३, ११०४, ११०५, ११०६, ११०८, ११०९, १११०, १११२) जागा
मालकाच्या अपरो परस्पर इतर ग्राहकांना क्षिवकू न त्याच्यातून कोट्यावधी
रुपये कमवून ते पै से या "ां धकामास न ापरता दुस-या "ां धकाम साईट,
स् ताःच्या ै यक्तीक हॉटे ल व्य सायाविकरता ापरुन तसे च ै यविक्तक
खात्या र ग$ करुन घे ऊन वि कसक श्री. सं दीप नामदे कासार, विकरण
भानु दास प ार, रमजान विहदायतु ल्ला शे ख स $ रा, अस्टोविनया रॉयल
सोसायटी, आं "ेगा "ु पु णे यांनी कोंढरे कुटूंवि"यांची फस णूक करुन सदर
रकमे चा अपहार केल्याचे पु राव्याविनशी प्रथमदश$नी विदसत आहे . कविरता पु ढील
काय$ ाहीस्त अह ाल सवि नय सादर करीत आहोत.”
(Emphasis Added)
7. Thus it is clear that in fact the Applicants are also victims

and they have been cheated by Accused nos.1 to 4 i.e., the

developers. Thus, prima facie the Applicants are not involved in

the crime.

8. In any case, the Applicants are ready to cooperate with the

investigation. Applicant no.1 is a senior citizen of 71 years.

Although there is one antecedent, the same is of the year 2023

where Applicant no.1’s relative is alleged to have been died by

suicide.

9. Thus in the facts and circumstances, case is made out for

grant of Anticipatory Bail by imposing following conditions :-

ORDER

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41.ABA-2675.26..DOC

(a) In the event of arrest of the Applicants in connection

with C.R. No.328 of 2026 registered with Ambegaon

Police Station, Pune City, the Applicants are directed

to be released on bail on furnishing P.R. Bond in the

sum of Rs.30,000/- each with one or two solvent

sureties each in the like amount.

(b) The Applicants shall attend the concerned Police

Station as and when necessary.

and residential address to the Investigating Officer

and shall keep the same updated, in case of any

change thereto.

(d) The Applicants 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 person from disclosing the facts to the Court or

to any Police personnel.

(e) The Applicants shall not tamper with the prosecution

evidence and shall not contact or influence the

Complainant or any witness in any manner.

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10. The observations made in this order are only for the purpose

of considering the anticipatory bail application and the learned

Trial Court shall not be influenced by these observations.

11. The Anticipatory Bail Application is disposed of accordingly.

[MADHAV J. JAMDAR, J.]

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