MUMBAI: The sessions court has granted bail to Anant Bhagwan Garje, personal assistant to animal husbandry and dairy development minister Pankaja Munde, who is accused of abetting his wife’s suicide at the couple’s Worli residence in November 2025.
Garje was arrested on November 23, 2025 for abetment of suicide, cruelty and assault following a complaint lodged by the deceased’s father at Worli police station.
According to the prosecution, the couple had been facing discord since their marriage in February 2025, and the deceased had discovered documents suggesting Garje was involved in an extramarital relationship prior to their marriage.
When she confronted Garje about the purported affair, he asked her not to disclose the same to her parents; he also threatened to die by suicide if she did inform them, leaving a note blaming her for his death, the deceased’s father said in his complaint.
The father claimed that when he visited his daughter and son-in-law in October 2025, he observed injury marks on her face and neck, and she said she had been assaulted by her husband. On November 22, 2025, he received a call from Garje, saying his wife had attempted suicide and was being taken to a hospital.
The woman was later declared dead while the post-mortem found evidence of ligature compression of the neck and described the death as unnatural.
Garje surrendered before the police on November 23, 2025. While the probe was transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT), he was remanded in police custody several times before being sent to judicial custody. During the pendency of proceedings, the sessions court granted anticipatory bail to Garje’s siblings, who are named as co-accused in the case.
While seeking regular bail, Garje’s counsel, advocate Mangesh Deshmukh, told the court that he had cooperated with the investigation from the outset and had surrendered voluntarily, and that no further custodial interrogation was required. The allegations against Garje, even if taken at face value, did not disclose direct instigation or any proximate act linking him to the suicide, Deshmukh told the court.
The prosecution opposed the plea, citing seriousness of the allegations, allegations about sustained harassment and threats, and the ongoing probe by the SIT.
While allowing the plea, the sessions court considered the period of time already spent in custody and the absence of any further need for custodial interrogation. The court granted Garje bail subject to certain conditions, including cooperation with investigators and compliance with directions of the investigating officer.
The order did not consider the merits of allegations against Garje, and the case will now proceed on the basis of material collected by the SIT during the probe.