Amruta Fadnavis threat case: Designer Aniksha Jaisinghani remanded in 14-day judicial custody, files bail plea

A Mumbai court on Friday sent Aniksha Jaisinghani, arrested for allegedly offering a bribe to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's wife Amruta and also threatening her, to 14-day judicial custody, turning down a plea for extension of police remand.

Later, Anishka moved a bail application before the court claiming the FIR against her was totally based on "concocted and fictitious facts" to falsely implicate her.

The arrest and consequent remand of the applicant to the custody of the police is in total violation of the tenets of the Constitution of India and provisions of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), her bail application, filed through advocate Manan Sanghai, claimed.

Further, it claimed the sessions court orders remanding her to police custody (twice) were passed in a mechanical manner without application of mind and were in violation of principles of natural justice.

Aniksha was arrested by Mumbai police on March 16 based on a case filed at Malabar Hill police station on February 20 on the complaint of Amruta Fadnavis. She is also accused of demanding extortion of Rs 10 crore from the latter.

The police produced Aniksha before sessions court judge D D Almale at the end of her previous remand.

The police, represented by special public prosecutor Ajay Misar, sought her custody for three more days to confront her with a witness.

The SPP submitted that during the previous remands, the investigating officer had made progress, but some part of the investigation pertaining to recovery of bag and data from the Apple phone was yet to be analysed.

The statement of a witness, who was brought from Kolhapur, has been recorded, but custody of the accused is required for interrogation in presence of the said lady who shot the video, Misar said and prayed for extension of custody by three days.

Aniksha's lawyer Manan Sanghai said no sufficient ground was made out for extension of police custody and claimed further investigation was possible without the custody of the accused.

The investigating officer got sufficient time to interrogate the accused separately and with co-accused, he told court.

The court, after hearing both sides, rejected the investigators' plea and remanded the accused in judicial custody, saying the grounds put forth by the police for remand extension were "not just and proper".

"Taking into account the nature of offence, I am of the opinion that further investigation can be possible without the police custody of the accused," the court added.

Police have also arrested her father and suspected bookie Anil Jaisinghani and their relative Nirmal Jaisinghani in connection with the case. The duo are in police custody till March 27.

They have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections for conspiracy and extortion and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

As per the FIR, Aniksha was in touch with Amruta for the past 16 months and also visited her residence.

In her statement to the police, Amruta said she first met Aniksha in November 2021. Aniksha claimed she was a designer of clothes, jewellery and footwear and requested the BJP leader's wife to wear them at public events saying it would help her promote the products, the police have said.

After gaining Amruta's trust, Aniksha offered to provide her with information on some bookies through which, she claimed, they could make money. She then directly offered Amruta Rs 1 crore to get her father off the hook in a police case, as per the FIR.

Amruta Fadnavis also told the police she was upset by Aniksha's behaviour and blocked her number, as per the FIR.

The woman then allegedly sent Amruta video clips, voice notes and many messages from an unknown number. She and her father indirectly threatened and conspired against Amruta, said the official citing the FIR.