Bombay High Court Accepts CID Closure Report Clearing Builder Rajendra Chaturvedi
In a major legal development involving a Rs 500 crore redevelopment dispute in Kalachowky, the Bombay High Court accepted the State CID’s B-Summary closure report in a criminal case involving Shreepati builder managing director Rajendra Chaturvedi. A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata set aside a 2013 order from the Metropolitan Magistrate in Andheri that had refused to close the case, ruling that investigators found no evidence against Chaturvedi and that the original case was false.
The case originated in February 2007 when Juhu police intercepted four men near the Holiday Inn hotel in Juhu. Police at the time claimed the men were hired by Chaturvedi for Rs 50 lakh to eliminate rival builder Rashmikant Shah over the Kalachowky project dispute. Authorities had also considered applying provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Chaturvedi denied the charges, maintaining that he was framed due to intense business rivalry. The investigation was subsequently transferred to the State CID, which uncovered an alleged nexus between the rival builder and certain police officers to frame Chaturvedi. The CID's findings led to administrative action against seven policemen, including then Additional Commissioner of Police Bipin Bihari, who has since retired.
During the probe, the CID re-examined witness claims regarding the purported Juhu incident. Witnesses who had earlier claimed they were present when Shah was allegedly shot at later denied that any firing incident ever took place.
Concluding that there was no material to proceed, the State CID submitted a B-Summary report seeking closure on February 13, 2008, alongside a report under Section 169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to discharge accused persons. However, the 10th Court Metropolitan Magistrate in Andheri rejected the closure request on January 30, 2013.
Chaturvedi and the State CID, Konkan Bhavan, Navi Mumbai, filed petitions in the High Court challenging the magistrate's order. The High Court reviewed the CID record and formally set aside the magistrate's decision, accepting the closure report and bringing the nearly 20-year-old case to an end.
