Garhwal Post Bureau
Haridwar, 2 Nov: Actor Urmila Sanawar, who has been lodged in Haridwar District Jail since 25 October, was today granted bail by a local court in a case involving allegations of extortion, criminal intimidation and defamatory social media posts. However, Sanawar is unlikely to walk out of jail immediately and is expected to be released tomorrow after completion of the required legal formalities.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Avinash Kumar Srivastava allowed the bail application and directed her release on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 along with two solvent sureties of an equal amount. Sanawar’s counsel, Preeti Singh Chauhan, said the court has approved the bail plea and the order has been received. She said the necessary sureties would be produced before the court tomorrow, following which Sanawar‘s release from district jail would be completed.
It may be recalled that the case was registered at Ranipur police station on 25 October on a complaint filed by Deepika Rathore, daughter of former MLA Suresh Rathore. In her complaint, Deepika had alleged that Sanawar had demanded Rs 5 crores and threatened her family. She also claimed that Sanawar had posted objectionable and defamatory remarks about her and her family on social media.
According to the complaint, Sanawar allegedly sought transfer of Ravidas Dham property in her name and demanded Rs 5 crores through a WhatsApp call. Deepika further alleged that she and her family were threatened with dire consequences if the demands were not met.
Following registration of the FIR, Ranipur police arrested Sanawar from her residence in Saharanpur on the same day and produced her before a court, which sent her to 14 days of judicial custody at Roshnabad District Jail.
During the hearing today, advocate Preeti Singh Chauhan appeared for the accused, while Prosecution Officer Dharmendra Singh Arya opposed the bail plea. The prosecution argued that several similar cases had earlier been registered against Sanawar and contended that she could misuse the concession of bail.
After hearing both the sides, the court observed that most of the offences invoked in the case are bailable in nature. The court also noted that an offence under Section 308(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita does not prima facie appear to be made out. Taking into account that the accused is a woman and that the offences alleged are not punishable with death or life imprisonment, the court allowed the bail application.
It may be recalled that the Police had registered the case under Sections 308(5), 308(7), 356(2), 356(3) and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
Sanawar had earlier come into the spotlight during the Ankita Bhandari murder case after making claims linked to the alleged “VIP angle” in the case. The controversy eventually led to a CBI probe into that aspect of the matter. The agency has previously questioned both Urmila Sanawar and former MLA Suresh Rathore in connection with its investigation.
