Money Laundering Case: Mumbai Court Grants Bail To Viva Group MD Mehul Thakur

A special PMLA(Prevention of Money Laundering) court on Monday granted bail to Viva Group MD Mehul Thakur on medical grounds stating that the jail atmosphere is “absolutely not conducive” to overcome his sickness.

Special judge M G Deshpande, while allowing Thakur bail plea, stated that the applicant’s (Thakur) medical documents clearly show that his mental illness has worsened even after the high court released him on temporary bail.

“It is a fact that all jails in Mumbai are flooded by undertrial prisoners. Certainly, the jail atmosphere is absolutely not conducive to overcome the sickness of the applicant,” the judge stated.

The court also stated that the applicant’s request for psychiatric counselling within the confines of the jail had been rendered ineffective. Thakur must be with his family under their constant care in such a case, which is not feasible inside the jail.

Only psychiatrists understand how delicately and attentively a patient like the applicant must be handled, he continued.

Thakur’s sickness, according to the special judge, is certain to worsen if he is detained inside the prison.

If the medical reasons are dismissed and the applicant is returned to jail, it would serve as a catalyst for his mental illness to worsen, inflicting irreversible harm, the judge claimed.

In January 2021, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Thakur for allegedly diverting more than Rs 196 crores from Housing Development Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) to Viva Group via a number of defunct entities.

Thakur was also accused of transferring two properties to the group from a business controlled by HDIL founders for no monetary value.