Senior journalist, arrested in GST fraud case, moves High Court for relief

Senior journalist Mahesh Langa, who was arrested in connection with an alleged GST-related fraud case, has approached the Gujarat High Court challenging a magistrate’s decision to remand him to police custody for 10 days.
According to Bar and Bench, Langa contended in his plea that the magistrate court passed the remand order without any “application of mind”.
“The magistrate straight away grants 10 days remand in an offence of 420 (cheating) Indian Penal Code… The judgment of the Supreme Court says that it is not by the gravity of the offence,” senior advocate Unwala argued during the hearing.
A Bench of Justice Sandeep Bhatt asked Langa’s counsel to serve copies of the plea to the Gujarat government. The government’s lawyers have also been asked to get instructions by then.
The matter will be heard next on October 14.
Mahesh Langa, a journalist with The Hindu newspaper, was arrested on October 8 by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch after raids in 14 places in Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda and Bhavnagar. Sources said Rs 20 lakh cash, some gold jewellery and land papers were recovered from Langa’s house.
The Central GST found forged documents in the name of Mahesh Langa’s wife and father that were used for suspicious transactions in those fake firms.