A holiday court in Mumbai on Sunday ordered 47 men, arrested for allegedly showering money on bar girls, to donate the money — Rs
The accused included the bar’s manager, staff and customers, most of them local residents but some from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.3,000 each — deposited as bail bond to an orphanage in Badlapur. Usually, the money deposited as bail bond goes to state exchequer.
On Sunday afternoon, as lawyers of the 47 men caught in a raid the previous night at Indiana Bar and Restaurant in Tardeo pleaded clemency for them with Magistrate Sabina Malik, she wasn’t keen to let them off lightly.
Magistrate Malik was of the view that the men must spend at least a day behind bars to repent and so that their families could understand the nature of the crime they had committed. The accused included the bar’s manager, staff and customers, most of them local residents but some from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
While the magistrate initially ordered the men to be jailed, their lawyers pleaded for their release. Lawyer Kamlesh More, who was representing eight of the arrested men, argued that this was “the first and last time that the men would commit such a crime”.
At this point, Magistrate Malik and the defence lawyers debated on how best to utilise the bail bonds. The lawyers suggested donating the money to NGOs and the State Legal Services Authority.
In the end, the magistrate picked Satkarma Balakashram in Badlapur. In her order, she directed the offenders to deposit Rs 3,000 each with the police, who will deposit the money with the orphanage.
