A court in Mumbai on Monday granted bail to Anant Garje, the personal assistant to Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde, who was arrested in connection with the alleged abetment of the suicide of his wife last November, news agency PTI reported.
The bail was allowed by Additional Sessions Judge Rupali Pawar, though a detailed reasoned order is yet to be made available. In his plea, Garje argued that the case against him was “based merely on suspicion and assumptions without any substantive facts” and asserted that he was “absolutely innocent” and falsely implicated.
Police had opposed the bail, stating that the accused caused physical and mental distress to his wife, 28-year-old wife Dr Gauri Palve, who tragically died by suicide in her Worli flat in Mumbai on November 22, 2025. The incident reportedly followed a domestic dispute, occurring about nine months after their marriage, PTI reported.
Palve was employed as a dentist at the civic-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital.
The case was registered by Worli Police following a complaint by Palve’s father under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including abetment of suicide, criminal intimidation, and voluntarily causing hurt, among others, leading to Garje’s arrest on November 24, 2025. Palve’s family had alleged that she took the extreme step due to alleged torture and harassment by her husband.
In his bail plea filed through advocate Mangesh Deshmukh, Garje stated that the allegations were vague and lacked substantive evidence. He contended that the first information report (FIR) was a result of afterthought and emotional distress following the tragic incident, and that it did not disclose any direct, specific, or proximate act of abetment or cruelty attributable to him that could constitute an offence under BNS.
Victim’s family alleges accused had extramarital affair
Police, however, claimed that on the day of her death, Garje threatened to die by suicide to hide his own mistakes and recorded a voice clip, which he allegedly sent to his wife. Fearing that he would tarnish her social image by sending the clip to others, Palve was reportedly driven to end her life, PTI reported.
The victim’s family alleged that Garje had an extramarital affair, and Palve had discovered him chatting with another woman on his mobile phone. Police added that Garje frequently quarreled with his wife over trivial matters, rarely gave her time, and behaved rudely. The prosecution had described the case as highly sensitive, noting the suicide of a female doctor and the serious nature of the allegations.
Despite these claims, the court granted bail to Garje, allowing him temporary relief while the investigation and trial proceed.
(With PTI inputs)