India, Jan. 2 -- A court in Paud on Thursday rejected the bail application of suspended deputy sub-registrar, Ravindra Balkrishna Taru, in connection with the alleged Mundhwa land scam, observing that the case involves serious economic offences and that granting bail at this stage could hamper the ongoing investigation.

In the order, the magistrate, said, "The investigation is at a preliminary stage. The investigation regarding bank transactions of the co-accused is still going on. The involvement of the accused in similar offences is also to be verified. If the accused is released on bail, there is every possibility of tampering with prosecution evidence. Therefore, at this stage, I do not find it proper to release the accused on bail."...