The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has granted bail to Sunil Kedar, the former minister and Congress MLA, in connection to a Rs 150-crore cooperative bank scam. This decision provides significant relief to Kedar, who was accused of diverting bank funds to private entities to purchase government securities, resulting in substantial financial losses for the bank.

Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke, presiding over the hearing, suspended the lower court's order and approved bail on a surety bond of Rs one lakh. The conditions include Kedar making a monthly appearance before the trial court on the 1st of each month. The execution of the substantive jail sentence imposed by the trial court is suspended until the application is disposed of. Furthermore, Kedar is prohibited from leaving the jurisdiction of the appellate court (District and Sessions Court, Nagpur) without prior permission and is not allowed to seek exemption except under exceptional circumstances.

Following the bail order, supporters gathered outside the High Court, expressing solidarity with chants of "Sunil Kedar agae badho hum tumhare saath hai." Sunil Kedar is expected to be released from Nagpur Central Jail around 11 am on Wednesday. The Congress party has called on its supporters to assemble near the Central Jail to welcome Kedar.

The High Court's decision comes after Kedar, through his counsel, sought relief when his stay on conviction and bail plea were rejected by a sessions court the previous week. Earlier, Kedar approached the sessions court for a stay on his conviction by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court and sought bail, which District Judge RS Patil declined on December 30. On December 23, the JMFC court sentenced Kedar and five others, including the general manager and directors of the Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB), along with the director of 'Home Trade Pvt Ltd,' to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakh each for misappropriating NDCCB funds.

Notably, this legal battle, lasting almost two decades, resulted in the conviction of six individuals, while three were acquitted. Kedar, as the then Chairman, and the general manager, Ashok Choudhary, violated prescribed laws by not investing the funds properly, leading to charges of criminal breach of trust, considered a serious offence with potential repercussions for the financial stability of the cooperative bank and its associated members and staff. Senior Advocate Sunil Manohar represented Sunil Kedar, while Advocates Raja Thakre and Ajay Misar argued the case on behalf of the State before the High Court.