The Maharashtra State Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to an Indian National Congress leader, Sunil Kedar, who was convicted of a bank scam in late December 2023. Kedar was also disqualified from the Maharashtra State Assembly after the conviction.

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court allowed Kedar’s application for suspension of sentence and suspended execution of his jail sentence imposed by the trial court. However, the court added, “The applicant shall attend the trial Court on 1st of every month and the trial Court and shall record his presence.” Additionally, he must provide his cell phone number(s), proof of address and details of two relatives with proof of their addresses. Moreover, Kedar is not allowed to leave the appellate court’s jurisdiction without prior permission and cannot apply for exemption unless under exceptional circumstances.

The trial court initially denied Kedar’s initial bail plea, leading him to appeal to the high court.

Sunil Chhatrapal Kedar was disqualified as the legislator of the Saoner Assembly constituency in Nagpur after receiving a five-year jail term in connection with the Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB) scam. The disqualification, effective from the date of his conviction on December 22, was based on Article 19(1)(e) of the Indian Constitution and Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Kedar’s disqualification dealt a significant blow to the Maharashtra Congress in the Vidarbha region, considering his influential presence in Nagpur, particularly in the rural areas. The conviction, related to the two-decade-old NDCCB scam, included charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of forgery and cheating. The NDCCB irregularities came to light in 2002, leading to a prolonged investigation that resulted in Kedar receiving a Bombay High Court notice in 2014 to pay defaulted dues.

Kedar is a five-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing the Saoner Assembly constituency in Nagpur district of Maharashtra state. He comes from a prominent political family and is the son of Congress minister Chhatrapal Kedar, also known as Babasaheb Kedar.