Doctor accused drawing ex-deputy CM Ramrao Adik's pension as 'widow' gets pre-arrest bail

Mumbai, Nov 7 (PTI) A court here on Friday granted anticipatory bail to a city-based woman cardiologist accused of cheating and forgery for allegedly drawing pension as a 'widow' of former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ramrao Adik.

The case against the doctor, Lekha Pathak, was registered at the Marine Drive police station in south Mumbai in March this year for cheating and other charges under the erstwhile Indian Penal Code (IPC). The FIR was registered following a magistrate court's order.

Fearing arrest in the case, the 79-year-old cardiologist had sought pre-arrest bail, claiming that the FIR against her was registered on a "completely absurd and preposterous complaint" filed by Prithviraj Adik, an advocate and son of the late deputy chief minister.

Her pre-arrest bail has been allowed, but its detailed order has not been uploaded by the court yet, additional public prosecutor Anand Sukhadeve said.

Prithviraj Adik has alleged that after his father's death in August 2007, Pathak began receiving his pension as his "widow" although she was never legally wedded to his father.

The doctor said in her plea that in June 1989, Ramrao Adik divorced his first wife Shobha Adik, the complainant's mother. Pathak got married to Ramrao Adik in 1995 as per Hindu Vedic rituals at the Birla temple in Delhi, the plea said.

It stated that after Ramrao Adik's death, a testamentary proceeding was adopted by the divorced wife. In 2008, mutual settlement and consent terms were executed among Shobha Adik, Pathak and the late politician's children, including the complainant.

The plea stressed that the compromise decree arrived at between the parties is binding upon all the parties.

The doctor's application stated that the complainant, having failed to extort money and property" from her in the testamentary proceeding, now adopted criminal proceedings.

The complainant has suppressed various material documents and facts from the magistrate court while seeking an order directing the police to register in the alleged crime. PTI AVI NP