The Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, granted bail to businessman Sujit Patkar, an alleged associate of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, in the Covid-19 jumbo centre scam. The court noted that, despite prima facie complicity, extended imprisonment was not necessary as the investigation is complete, reported news agency PTI.

A bench led by Justice Amit Borkar emphasised that factors including the time an accused has spent in jail and the delay in the commencement of the trial should be evaluated in light of the "overarching principle that bail is the rule and jail is the exception".

The court ordered Patkar to provide a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and imposed a few other conditions for his bail.