MUMBAI, Oct. 15 -- The sessions court has granted anticipatory bail to a 54-year-old real estate developer accused of cheating a Bandra-based builder of around Rs.52 crore in a Vile Parle slum rehabilitation project. Additional sessions judge NG Shukla granted bail to the accused, Kedar Bhikaji Bapat, and said that Bapat had played no role in the deception committed by his firm. The case was registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW). According to the FIR, Bapat's firm, Vijayraj Realtors had an agreement with MM Corporation in 2013, for redeveloping a slum in Vile Parle. However, Vijayraj Realtors sold 27 flats and a shop which were a part of the project, and diverted around Rs.35 crore to another firm. This cost MM Corporation a loss of nearly Rs.52 crore. In November 2024, the corporation complained that the accused had diverted funds and mortgaged assets without consent. Bapat, represented by advocate Anurag Mishra then filed for anticipatory bail. The court noted that he had joined the firm only in December 2016, three years after the development agreement was signed, and had left in 2021. "The applicant had no role in giving any false promise to the complainant's firm in 2013," the judge said, and added that Bapat had cooperated with the investigation and even given project-related documents to the EOW. The court held that Bapat's custodial interrogation was unnecessary, and directed him to "attend the office of the investigating agency as and when called and cooperate in investigation"....