{1} IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD CRIMINAL APPLICATION NO. 324 OF 2010 Vikram s/o Jijaba Gite APPLICANT VERSUS The State of Maharashtra RESPONDENT ....... Mr.A.S.Barlota, Advocate for applicant Mr.N.B.Patil, APP for respondent State ....... [CORAM : A.V.POTDAR, J.] DATE: 9th February 2010 PER COURT: 1. By this application, the applicant has prayed to release him on anticipatory bail in the event of his arrest in connection with CR No.2/2010 registered with Vadodbazar Police Station for an offence punishable u/s 420, 468, 471 of the IPC. Interim protection is granted to the applicant on 25.01.2010. 2. Heard learned counsel for the applicant followed by learned APP. Perused the papers of investigation carried out till today. 3. It is not disputed that at the material time i.e. in the {2} month of July 2007, the applicant was working as village Talathi of village Liha Jahangir, Tq-Phulambri. It is alleged that a scheme was introduced by the Government to provide compensation to the villagers whose house properties were damaged during rainfall. As per the scheme, survey was to be conducted by a committee consisting of Talathi, Sarpancha and Police Patil. After the said survey, a report was to be prepared by the Talathi and was to be forwarded to the Tahsil office and thereafter the amounts of compensation were to be paid to the affected persons. 4. It appears that one complaint was received on 21.07.2007 by the District Collector that compensation was paid to certain persons, who were not actually affected. Accordingly, an inquiry committee was appointed, which had submitted report in the year 2008. Pursuant to the receipt of the report, a show cause notice was issued to the applicant to show cause in respect of allegations against him. There is specific allegation that compensation was paid to 28 persons, who were in fact not entitled for the same as they were not holding house properties and in respect of some, they are given compensation inspite of the fact that their houses were not damaged at all. It is contended that the survey was conducted by the applicant with the help of Sarpancha and Police Patil. Accordingly, record was forwarded to the Tahsil office and thereafter the compensation was paid. Thus, it is not disputed that compensation was paid by the applicant. However, whether to the proper persons or not, is a disputed question. {3} During the course of submissions the report of inquiry and a chart of persons who received compensation is shown to me. It is clear that out of 28 persons, 18 were not having any house property in their names and 6 persons whose houses were not damaged though compensation is paid to them. In the premise, the contention of the applicant that record is with the Tahsil office and the alleged role of the applicant is unearthed after 3 years and hence there is delay in lodging the FIR and therefore, custodial interrogation of the applicant is not necessary, cannot be accepted. On the contrary, the record shows that the compensation was paid to the persons who were not affected and entitled for the same and hence how and why the compensation is paid to them can be ascertained only after custodial interrogation of the applicant. 5. In the result, the application which is sans merits stands rejected. Interim protection granted to the applicant stands vacated. [A.V.POTDAR, J.] drp/A10/criapln324-10