Now Reading: Mumbai sessions court rejects astrologer’s bail in Rs 69.30 lakh cancer fraud case
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Mumbai sessions court rejects astrologer’s bail in Rs 69.30 lakh cancer fraud case
Mumbai sessions court rejects astrologer’s bail in Rs 69.30 lakh cancer fraud case
The Story in Brief
Mumbai's sessions court on Monday, 26 October rejected anticipatory bail for astrologer Rajshekhar Shashtri, 39, accused of cheating a woman of Rs 69.30 lakh by promising to cure her sister's cancer through a puja. Additional Sessions Judge RM Jadhav observed the sum was 'exorbitant' and could not be professional fees, making custodial interrogation necessary to trace the money and gold ornaments. An FIR was registered at Tilak Nagar police station on the complaint of Jayanti Gopalkrishnan, who said she had approached Shashtri and his brother Adityanath alias Babu Guruji for help with her sister's cancer between June 2025 and June 2026.
Shashtri claimed the amounts were for professional astrology services, but the public prosecutor opposed the plea, saying the brothers shut their business and ignored police notices. The court also noted a similar case against the brothers for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 93.47 lakh in Govandi. The accused remain in judicial custody as the investigation continues.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both outlets present the court's rejection of the anticipatory bail plea as a straight news report, leading with the same judicial observation that custodial interrogation is needed to trace the money and gold. The Free Press Journal includes the separate Govandi case of Rs 93.47 lakh and the complainant's name, Jayanti Gopalkrishnan, which The Times of India omits. The Times of India adds the detail of roadside posters promising a '100% solution', absent in the Free Press Journal. The uniform tone is neutral-report, the only differences are in the selection of corroborative details. The core event, the court's rejection of bail on 26 October 2026, is reported identically by both.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): freepressjournal.in (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
