PANJIM: In a significant blow to alleged land scam accused Rohan Harmalkar, the Bombay High Court at Goa has rejected his bail plea in a money laundering case. This marks the fourth time Harmalkar’s bail has been denied across various judicial forums, following dismissals by the Sessions and Special PMLA courts.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Harmalkar on June 3, 2025, identifying him as a mastermind in a multi-crore land grabbing racket. The case, rooted in Anjuna Police FIRs from 2022 and 2023, involves the alleged forgery of sale deeds, fabrication of genealogical records, and counterfeiting of government stamps to hijack prime North Goa land.
The ED informed the Court that searches at premises linked to Harmalkar uncovered 62 incriminating documents. To date, the agency has quantified proceeds of crime at ₹220.97 crore and provisionally attached immovable properties worth ₹212.84 crore.
Defense counsel Adv Vibhav Amonkar argued for bail, citing Harmalkar’s 10-month incarceration and the unlikelihood of a speedy trial given the 76 witnesses and 7,000 pages of evidence. He further claimed the arrest was politically motivated, noting Harmalkar’s past as an election candidate. Amonkar contended that with all assets frozen, his client posed no risk and that continued detention violated his right to a speedy trial.
Opposing the plea, ED counsel Adv Siddharth Samant described the case as a grave economic offence involving layered money trails. He stressed that PMLA investigations stand independent of the predicate police offences and voiced concerns that Harmalkar could tamper with evidence or influence witnesses if released.
Justice Dr Neela Gokhale observed that since charges have been framed and the ED has committed to concluding the trial within four months, the applicant’s right to speedy justice was not being violated. Holding that no case for bail was established, the Court rejected the application.
