1 SNS IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MUMBAI APPELLATE CRIMINAL JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPLICATION NO.5457 OF 2010 Balkrishna Machindra Koshti ...Applicant. v. The State ...Respondents. Mr. Dhananjay Rananaware ,adv. For the Applicant. Ms P.P.Shinde, APP For the Respondent/State. CORAM : J.H. BHATIA, J. DATED : JANUARY 31, 2011. P.C. 1 Applicant, who was Block Education Officer seeks to be released on bail in Crime No.127 of 2009 for the offences 420,409, 467, 468, 202 r/w section 34 of the I.P.C. registered with Laxmipuri Police Station. 2 According to the prosecution, present applicant being Block Education Officer was entrusted with certain funds for implementation of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, which is meant for propogating education among the people but he, in conspiracy with Education Extension Officer Ashok More and Special Teacher Subhash Satpute, misappropriated an amount of Rs.40,61,635/-. The present applicant and the Education Extension Officer, Ashok More had issued cheques in 2 favour of the accused no.3 Subhash Satpute Special Teacher and the amount of the cheques was credited in his account and later on, said Satish Satpute had withdrawn the said amount. Cheque was signed by Ashok More. According to the applicant, he was not one of the signatories of the cheques and his signatures on the cheques were forged. The learned APP on the last date informed that cheques were referred to the handwriting expert for getting opinion about the handwriting and signatures thereon and also that the report was received, therefore, on request of the prosecution, matter was fixed today for producing the said report. However, today, the learned APP, on instructions, states that handwriting expert has made certain queries and after compliance of those queries, documents have to be re-submitted for getting handwriting expert report. It is difficult to say how much time it will take to get the report of the handwriting expert. 3 The learned counsel for the applicant points out that accused no.3 Subhash Satpute , who had withdrawn the complete amount of the cheques from his account, was granted bail by this Court subject to his depositing an amount of Rs.10 lacs. He states that the present applicant may also be granted bail on similar conditions. 4 In view of the facts and circumstances, the applicant be 3 released on his executing PR of Rs.25,000/- with one or more solvent sureties in the agreegate sum of Rs.25,000/- with the condition that he shall deposit with the trial Court a sum of Rs.10 lacs within a period of one month from this date and on the amount being so deposited, it shall be invested in nationalised bank and shall be disposed off as per the result of the trial. If the amount is not deposited within the stipulated period, bail shall stand cancelled. The applicant shall also report at Laxmipuri Police Station every day between 9 to 11 a.m. till the amount is deposited. (J.H. BHATIA,J.)