Ahmedabad: Additional sessions judge at the Ahmedabad rural court, S B Mehta, on Monday denied regular bail to Tarun Jinaraj, accused of murdering his wife Sajini Krishnan. Jinaraj, who evaded capture for 15 years, was arrested in Oct 2018.He had applied for bail, stating that the trial against him might take a long time. The prosecution opposed the bail plea, citing the gravity of the offence, and pointed out the absence of any genuine ground in Jinaraj’s application for bail. It was submitted that Jinaraj is a habitual offender and did not surrender on time when released on temporary bail earlier. Moreover, Jinaraj’s second wife is settled in Australia with her children. Looking at Jinaraj’s history of evading arrest and his alleged act of forging identities, there is a strong and reasonable apprehension that Jinaraj may flee if released on bail.
After the hearing, the court stated, “The present applicant-accused’s conduct and antecedents also dragged this case; prima facie, considering the nature of the offence, such an application shall not be allowed in favour of the present applicant-accused. Moreover, the present applicant-accused absconded for nearly 15 years and created a false and forged identity in the name of his friend, Praveen Bhately, and, using the said forged identity, travelled to various countries, including the US. Hence, there is ample chance that if such a bail application is allowed in favour of the present applicant-accused, then he may flee during the course of the trial and may again be involved in a similar type of offence.”Jinaraj is accused of strangling his wife, Sajni, on Valentine’s Day in 2003, just four months after their marriage. He initially filed a police complaint, but fled when investigators began to suspect him. Fifteen years later, police tracked him down in Bengaluru, where he had been living using his friend’s identity.
