In a dramatic turn of events, the Bombay High Court has exposed an alleged forgery that helped an accused secure anticipatory bail in an intellectual property theft case. The court has now revoked the bail, launched an inquiry, and directed the registration of an FIR against those involved in the fraudulent scheme.
The case revolves around Haribhau Dnyandev Chemte, an employee of Pune-based CTR Manufacturing Industries Pvt Ltd, who was accused of facilitating the theft of a patented fire protection system design. The company alleged that its competitor, Chennai-based Esun MR Pvt Ltd, had illicitly obtained its proprietary diagrams with the help of insiders.
After the police initiated an investigation, Chemte and senior officials from Esun MR sought bail, which was initially denied by a Pune court. However, in January 2025, the Bombay High Court granted interim anticipatory bail based on what appeared to be a legitimate trial court order stating that there was insufficient evidence against the accused.
It was later discovered that this document—a handwritten order allegedly issued by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Pune—was a fabrication. Upon verification, the JMFC court confirmed that no such ruling had been made on the stated date. Armed with this revelation, CTR Manufacturing pushed for a cancellation of the bail, arguing that the fraudulent document had misled the High Court.
Taking a stern view of the deception, the High Court, led by Justice SG Dige, ordered an immediate inquiry into the forgery. The interim bail granted to Chemte has been revoked, and the Registrar (Judicial-I) has been tasked with investigating the origins of the fake document and initiating criminal proceedings against those responsible.
With the case now under scrutiny, the unfolding inquiry is expected to shed light on how the forgery was orchestrated and who was involved in the attempt to manipulate the judicial process.