Bombay High Court denies anticipatory bail to pregnant nurse booked for issuing fake vaccination certificates

The Bombay High Court bench at Aurangabad, recently refused to grant anticipatory bail to a pregnant nurse booked for issuing over 200 false vaccination certificates [Shahenaz Afsar Shaikh vs State of Maharashtra]. .Single-judge SG Mehare, presiding over a vacation court, was hearing an anticipatory bail application filed by the nurse seeking protection from arrest in connection with the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against her for issuing nearly 200 fake vaccination certificates.The judge said that the applicant has apparently acted against the State government's policy to contain the dreaded Covid-19 virus."Serious issue of Covid19 pandemic has been faced world over. The State at several levels has taken care to prevent the spread of such life threatening disease. The government was dependent on the Medicine Department. Unless the vaccine is injected no certificates should have been prepared. The serious allegation of issuing around 200 false vaccination certificates have been levelled against the applicant. The conduct of the applicant is apparently against the government policy of preventing the spread of Covid19," the judge said in an order passed on May 20..In her defense, the nurse highlighted the fact that she was in her ninth month of pregnancy and would be delivering a child and thus she should be protected from arrest. She even pointed out that she lacked technical expertise to make such false vaccination certificates.The judge, however, said that the investigation officer will have to investigate how many false vaccination certificates have been issued by the applicant nurse."The applicant has acted against the interest of the public at large. The allegations levelled against her are apparently serious. Unless her custodial interrogation is made the probe may not be completed to unearth the truth," the judge said.Justice Mehare even refused to consider the pregnancy plea, saying, "Her nine months pregnancy cannot be a ground to grant her interim protection. Having regard to the serious allegations levelled against her, this Court is not inclined to grant her interim relief."The matter would be heard next on June 10..Notably, another bench of the Bombay High Court presided by Justice Milind Jadhav had on May 30, granted anticipatory bail to a pregnant woman, who was booked for abetting the suicide of her own husband. The judge in that case had said that it is the duty of the court to protect the pregnant woman and her foetus and to ensure she isn't subjected to stress..Advocates Sohail Shaikh and Dhanraj Ingole appeared for the accused, while the state was represented by additional public prosecutor R D Sanap. .[Read Order]