Bombay High Court denies bail to bribery-accused judge

The Bombay High Court has denied anticipatory bail to Dhananjay Nikam, a judge from Satara, who is facing bribery charges. He is accused of soliciting a ₹ 5 lakh bribe to grant bail to a person involved in a cheating case. The State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) claims that two brothers, Kishor and Anand Kharat, acted as intermediaries, demanding the bribe on Nikam’s behalf. Investigators believe Nikam was involved in the scheme and worked with the intermediaries. In his bail petition, Nikam denied the accusations, labeling them baseless. He argued that there was no direct evidence connecting him to the bribe or to any discussions about it. Nikam stated that he was on leave or assigned elsewhere during the alleged negotiations and had no involvement in issuing bail orders. The court had previously ordered a local bank to provide CCTV footage from December 9, 2024. Prosecutors believe this footage could show Nikam and the complainant having a suspicious conversation while traveling in a car. After considering all arguments, the High Court refused to grant bail, allowing the investigation into the bribery allegations against Nikam to proceed.