Mumbai

A Mumbai Sessions Court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya in connection with the misappropriation of funds collected to save aircraft carrier INS Vikrant from scrapping.

Senior Advocate Ashok Mundargi appearing for Somaiya argued that the case is politically motivated. The Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police opposed the plea and denied the charges of case being politically motivated. A case is registered against the former MP from Maharashtra Somaiya and his son Neil Somaiya for financial bungling on the complaint of a former soldier Baban Bhosle.

"A case has been registered against Kirit Somaiya and Neil Somaiya under Sections 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Trombay Police station in Mumbai for INS Vikrant financial bungling," said Rehana Sheikh, Senior Police Inspector.

Bhosle in a statement had said, "In 2013-14, BJP had launched a campaign to save INS Vikrant and collected money from people, which as per information from the Raj Bhawan no such money was received. It is found that Somaiya used the money for his business."

After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took action against Shiv Sena Leader Sanjay Raut in the money laundering case, Raut accused the BJP MP Somaiya of financial bungling, alleging that he had collected around Rs 57 crore from the people as part of a campaign to save the INS Vikrant, but the fund wasn't submitted to the state exchequer.