Mumbai, Sep 21, 8:09PM A court here on Monday granted bail to a 24-year-old student arrested for entering a luxury mall in Bandra Kurla Complex with his aide with a firearm and a fake Prime Minister's Office (PMO) identity card, ruling that no "overt malicious act" beyond the entry was attributed to him.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Esplanade Court) D S Khedekar granted bail to the main accused, Rohan Parikh, a student, and his body guard, Dilip Kunde (49), on a cash bond of Rs 50,000 each, two weeks after the incident at Jio World Plaza.
The court noted that incarcerating a young student alongside hardened criminals would cause prejudice and affect his prospects for reformation.
The incident took place on September 7 at Jio World Plaza, on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attendance at the adjacent Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre for the Global Fintech Fest 2026.
The duo were stopped while entering the mall when security guards found that Kunde was carrying a firearm. They then started arguing, and one of them showed a photograph of an identity card claiming he was from the PMO.
The court further stated that there were no allegations that Kunde entered the mall "with intention to cause harm by possessing a licensed firearm".
Parikh, in his bail plea filed through advocate Satish Maneshine, argued that he visited the mall for personal reasons, and was unaware of any upcoming dignitary visit or the newly promulgated prohibitory orders.
The application had termed the incident a "victimless crime", where no harm or injury was caused to any person.
The plea stated that Parikh was "at the cusp of his transition from a student to a professional" and his prolonged detention was likely to have a negative impact on his mental health and may also tarnish his nascent career.
The prosecution alleged that Parikh created the fake PMO credentials using an artificial intelligence application on his mobile phone.
It opposed his plea, saying the misuse of the I-card was yet to be examined.
The court, however, stressed that "except entry along with bodyguard, no intentional act to use the I-card and no specific role is attributed against the accused for commission of overt act by virtue of said fake card".
It held that the allegation against the accused needs to be proved during the trial.
The judge further noted that keeping the youth behind bars was unjustified, as his mobile phones and laptop had already been seized, eliminating the need for further custodial interrogation.
"I am of the view that the educational career of the accused, incarceration of the accused along with hardened criminals would cause a prejudice to the prospective progress of the accused," he said, while granting Parikh bail.
Mumbai, Sep 21, 6:35PM A court here on Monday granted bail to two men arrested for allegedly forcing their way into a luxury mall in Bandra Kurla Complex with a firearm and a fake Prime Minister's Office (PMO) identity card.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate D S Khedekar granted bail to the main accused, Rohan Parikh (24), and his associate, Dilip Kunde (49), on a cash bond of Rs 50,000 each, two weeks after the incident at Jio World Plaza.
The detailed order was not available yet.
The incident took place on September 7 at Jio World Plaza, on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attendance at the adjacent Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre for the Global Fintech Fest 2026.
The accused were stopped while entering the mall when security guards found that Kunde was carrying a firearm. The duo started arguing, and one of them showed a photograph of an identity card claiming he was from the PMO.
Parikh, in his bail plea filed through advocate Satish Maneshine, argued that he visited the mall for personal reasons, unaware of any upcoming dignitary visit or the newly promulgated prohibitory orders.
The application had termed the incident a "victimless crime", where no harm or injury was caused to any person.
The plea stated that Parikh was "at the cusp of his transition from a student to a professional" and his prolonged detention was likely to have a negative impact on his mental health and may also tarnish his nascent career.
Police had earlier informed the court that a search of Parikh's residence yielded multiple forged documents linked to the PMO created using ChatGPT.
Parikh has confessed to fabricating the fake PMO ID and related official documents using the artificial intelligence tool since 2025 to elevate his social standing and boost his self-esteem within his family and social circles, the police said during a remand hearing.
