Mumbai: A special PMLA court denied bail to Archana Suresh Kute, wife of Dnyanradha credit society founder Suresh Kute, ruling that the jail hospital could handle her medical needs just fine, even as she remains in custody over an alleged ₹ 3,545-crore money laundering case that has left six lakh investors in the lurch.
Her lawyers argued that she needed medical care that could not be adequately provided in custody. Kute was arrested by the ED on March 2 and has been in judicial custody since. The defence had sought relief under the proviso to Section 45(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which permits courts to grant bail to certain categories, including women and sick or infirm persons.
Additional Sessions Judge S V Sahare rejected her bail plea on Thursday despite the defence citing serious medical conditions, including cerebral venous sinus thrombosis complicated by intracranial haemorrhage, which her lawyers said had worsened in custody.
The ED’s case stems from alleged irregularities at Dnyanradha, which ran 51 branches with about six lakh investors. The court recorded that 38 FIRs were registered against Suresh Kute and other office-bearers between May and July 2024. Between March 2016 and September 2023, more than ₹ 2,400 crore was allegedly sanctioned and disbursed to Kute Group companies, the prosecution told the court.
But the court found that argument insufficient.
There was, the court said, no medical opinion showing that she required treatment unavailable in custody.
The judge referred to the medical records before the court and noted that Kute had received treatment at the prison hospital.
