Mumbai: A sessions court on Thursday observed that the charges invoked against a 19-year-old Juhu resident, including criminal intimidation, are classified as bailable under the new criminal laws, but refused anticipatory bail after noting the seriousness of the assault allegations and the alleged pressure on the complainant’s family. The court rejected the plea submitted by Arjun Khanna, who is accused of orchestrating a violent assault on two brothers and their security staff during a late-night party in Prabhadevi. The plea was opposed by Kaykasshan Patel, former actor and mother of the victims Arhan Patel, aged 19, and Numaire Patel, aged 15, through her lawyer Satish Maneshinde. “…victim is 19 years old and 15 years old, having no father. The applicant (Khanna) allegedly assaulted fist blows on the face of 15 years old boy which is serious in nature. As per the allegation, the fist blow was given by the friend of the applicant on the nose of the informant and caused him nose bleeding injury and also pulled his hand forcefully, that he suffered shoulder dislocation injury. Not only this, the applicant and his friends threatened to kill the informant while pressing his neck,” judge Judge SB DigeThe father of the victims, businessman Areef Patel, died in 2019.The prosecution case was that on July 18, during a late-night party in the parking area of Chaitanya Tower at Prabhadevi, the brothers were leaving with bodyguards when an altercation allegedly began after Arhan Patel gestured goodbye to Aditya Agarwal. According to the FIR, Khanna questioned Agarwal if Arhan was his friend, pushed Arhan, and thereafter an unidentified person punched him on the nose, causing bleeding, and pulled his hand, allegedly causing a shoulder injury.The FIR further alleged that another person issued a threat to kill and that Khanna and two others assaulted bodyguard Mohsin. When Numaire stepped out of the car and questioned the assault, Khanna allegedly caught hold of Numaire’s hair, punched Numaire on the face, abused and threatened Numaire. The FIR also stated that when friend Shene Iglesias tried to intervene, Khanna allegedly assaulted Iglesias, causing a bleeding injury.Khanna’s defence argued that the case was falsely exaggerated from a non-cognisable dispute into a grievous hurt case, and that there was no medical material showing a nose fracture or shoulder dislocation. The defence also argued that Arhan was allegedly intoxicated, that the building had CCTV cameras and watchmen but no supporting material had emerged, and that nothing was required to be recovered from Khanna.Maneshinde argued that Khanna had allegedly assaulted the complainant, minor brother, bodyguard and friend without reason, and that more serious offences were made out than those mentioned in the FIR. The intervenor also alleged that Khanna’s family was influential and that the police were not investigating properly, leading the complainant to approach the Bombay High Court for transfer of investigation to the State CID or another independent agency.The court also took note of a written complaint filed by the complainant’s mother alleging pressure on the family.
