Vasco: Judicial magistrate first class (JMFC), Vasco, granted bail to YouTuberGautam Khattar, who is accused of making derogatory remarks against St Francis Xavier.The court, however, declined to accept defence advocate A Prabhudessai’s argument that Khattar’s arrest was not legit. “The procedural safeguards under the BNNS cannot be used to defend an accused who intentionally evades the process of law. I find the plea of illegal arrest untenable,” JMFC Pooja Desai observed in the order.“The applicant’s evasion of the investigation warranted the state’s recourse to coercive action,” the order stated.After the police could not find him at his residence in Dehradun, Khattar was apprehended in Himachal Pradesh on April 24 and arrested on April 25.The court observed that Khattar’s past conduct necessitates the imposition of conditions to ensure that he does note evade the law again or repeat the alleged offences during the pendency of the investigation.After his release on bail, Khattar said his brother Madhav’s arrest was illegal, and that he had nothing to do with the case.Meanwhile, Khattar was slammed for his remarks against the media after his release.
