Court refuses pre-arrest bail to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's son

A court here on Tuesday rejected an anticipatory bail application filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's son, Neil Somaiya, in a case of alleged misappropriation of over Rs 57 crore collected to save the decommissioned aircraft carrier Vikrant. The court had rejected the pre-arrest bail plea of Kirit Somaiya on Monday.

The case was registered against the father-son duo on the basis of a complaint filed by a former Army personnel at Trombay police station.

Fearing arrest, both had sought pre-arrest bail.


Additional sessions judge R N Rokade had on Monday denied any relief to Somaiya, a former MP. On Tuesday, the judge rejected the plea of his son too.

Commissioned in 1961, INS Vikrant, a Majestic-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, had played a key role in enforcing the naval blockade of East Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. It was decommissioned in 1997. In January 2014, the ship was sold through an online auction and scrapped in November that year.

The complainant alleged that Somaiya had started a campaign to raise funds to save the ship from being scrapped and he had donated some money for this fund.

The BJP leader collected more than Rs 57 crore, but instead of depositing the amount with the office of the Maharashtra governor, he misappropriated the funds, the complainant alleged.

The BJP leader has denied the allegations.