Pune, 9th April 2026: A Pune sessions court has rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of a homeowner and a contractor accused of damaging an underground metro tunnel while drilling a borewell without permission. The court observed that the offence involves serious risks to public safety and significant damage to public property.
The accused, Dhananjay Pandharinath Mote and contractor Pratap Sopan Jagtap, have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act. The complaint was filed by Shantanu Goratra, Joint General Manager of Pune Metro.
The incident took place on March 14 in Shukrawar Peth, where a borewell was being drilled on an open plot after demolishing an old structure near the Khadak police station.
During the drilling, the cement ring of the underground metro tunnel on the Shivajinagar–Swargate Metro route was damaged, creating a six-inch hole. The act allegedly caused damage worth around ₹2.5 lakh and posed a threat to public safety.
Opposing the bail application, the prosecution argued that the accused were aware of their actions and still proceeded without obtaining permission, thereby endangering lives and damaging critical infrastructure.
The court accepted this argument and refused to grant them protection from arrest. It further noted that the offence is serious in nature, involving public property and safety concerns. Under Section 78 of the Metro Railways Act, the offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years.