Special Court Denies Gadget Return In Amruta Fadnavis Bribe Case

A special court has recently denied a request by Aniksha Jaisinghani, who is accused of threatening, conspiring against, and attempting to bribe Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Jaisinghani sought the return of her electronic devices that were seized during the investigation.

Aniksha Jaisinghani, the daughter of alleged bookie Anil Jaisinghani, filed an application stating that her iPhone and iPad were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis in May 2023 but have not yet been processed.

In a decision made on August 16, the special Anti-Corruption Board (ACB) court rejected her application. The court ruled that at this stage, it could not hand over the seized electronic devices to the accused. However, the court directed the police to request the FSL to prioritize the analysis of Jaisinghani’s gadgets.

Jaisinghani argued that the FSL has had ample time to complete its work and that she needs access to her devices and the information on them to prepare her defense. The police opposed her plea, stating that more time is needed for Cyber Forensic officials to extract the data, which is still in progress.

The police further explained that the FSL is dealing with a significant backlog of electronic materials, which has delayed their ability to process the data. They also raised concerns that returning the devices now could lead to the destruction of crucial evidence.

The case against Aniksha Jaisinghani was filed in February 2023 by the Malabar police station following a complaint by Amruta Fadnavis. Fadnavis alleged that Jaisinghani posed as a designer and threatened to release voice notes and video clips if she did not pay her ₹10 crores and help clear her father’s name of all charges.

Both Aniksha and her father, Anil Jaisinghani, have been charged under sections 120B (conspiracy) and 383 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.