Mumbai, Oct 13 (PTI) A sessions court in Mumbai on Tuesday granted bail to Sonia Pahuja, an accused in the Sandeep Gadoli fake encounter case, on health grounds.

Additional Sessions Judge AM Khan granted bail noting that Pahuja had poor immunity due to tuberculosis and, thus, ran a greater risk of contracting coronavirus infection while in prison.

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She is the mother of Divya Pahuja, gangster Gadoli's alleged girlfriend.

Gadoli was killed by a team of Haryana police in a fake encounter February 2016, outside a hotel in the city.

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Sonia and Divya were subsequently arrested by Mumbai's MIDC police for their alleged role in the conspiracy to get Gadoli killed.

Sonia, who filed a bail plea through her lawyer Sana Raees Khan, sought interim bail on medical grounds stating she had tuberculosis. Her medical records were submitted in the court last week.

On Tuesday, the judge said Pahuja fell in the category of high risk inmates and was eligible for temporary bail as recommended by the state high power committee.

"Patients suffering from TB have less immunity. They are more prone to catching infections and other diseases. She is more prone to getting infected by coronavirus if she is in jail that is already overcrowded," the judge said.

The court also said Sonia was not present at the crime spot at the time of the incident, and that several other accused in the case had been given bail already.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)