Ahmedabad: A city sessions court granted anticipatory bail to Mahesh Langa, the Gujarat correspondent for The Hindu, accused of cheating ₹28 lakh based on a complaint filed by the owner of Khushi Advertising Ideas Pvt Ltd with the city crime branch.

Langa, currently in jail over an alleged GST evasion case, sought anticipatory bail after police registered a third FIR against him. He denied the allegations and offered to deposit the amount to demonstrate his sincerity, but the prosecution opposed the plea. The court noted that the alleged cheating occurred between March 1 and October 29, with the complainant claiming to have transferred funds to Vyomin Media Pvt Ltd based on Langa’s assurances. When the complainant sought repayment, Langa allegedly refused and issued threats.

While granting bail under routine conditions, including surrendering his passport, the court observed that the case appeared to be a civil dispute over non-payment of money, with a maximum prescribed punishment of seven years, and was triable by a Magistrate. DeshGujarat