Gujarat HC allows man in judicial custody to perform last rites of his pet dog of 14 years

The Gujarat High Court on Friday directed the Surat City Police to escort a man, who is in judicial custody in Lajpore Central Jail in a cheating case filed by his estranged wife, to perform the last rites of his pet dog.

A bench of Justice U T Desai of the Gujarat HC was hearing an application filed by aSurat-resident seeking temporary bail in the case lodged against him by his estranged wife alleging misappropriation of Rs 17 lakh from an investment policy.

Though the man had moved the trial court for bail before the chargesheet was filed, his application was rejected.

Later, he moved the High Court and on the day of the first hearing of his application in the HC on Friday, his pet dog died.

The counsel representing the man implored the High Court to allow him to perform the last rites of his pet dog, a German Shepherd.

Considering the oral submission made by advocate Kruti Shah, representing the man, the High Court, in an oral order, directed the police personnel to take the applicant to his house in Surat until 8 pm on Friday.

The oral order of the HC said, “…the applicant was having a pet dog for the last 14 years which has passed away.

Because of the applicant’s attachment with the pet dog, he wants to perform the last rites of his pet dog.

The applicant is hereby directed to be taken to his house at Surat today (March 13, 2026) with police custody immediately upon receipt of this order till 08.00 pm.”
The court directed that the government must bear the expense of the police custody.

The order stated, “The police personnel shall be in civil clothes and the cost of the police custody shall be borne by the government.

The present order (to) be sent by e-mail to the concerned court, police station and Lajpore Central Jail, Surat…”
The court directed that the custody of the applicant should be handed over to the Jail Authority concerned after 8 pm.

The applicant had moved the Gujarat HC for bail before the chargesheet was filed in the case of forgery and cheating filed by his estranged wife, alleging that the man had “misappropriated Rs 17 lakh” from the maturity of an investment policy that was taken in the wife’s name after their marriage in 2000.

The FIR alleges that the man had “forged signatures and manipulated policy records” to add himself as the nominee of the policy, instead of the original nominee — the wife’s father.

On maturity of the policy in 2025, the man allegedly transferred the amount of Rs 17 lakh into a joint account he held with his wife and thereafter transferred the said amount to a joint account he held with his daughter, the applicant’s advocate informed the court on Friday.

The applicant submitted to the court that he was willing to return Rs 17 lakh to his estranged wife.

Advocate Shah argued that the matter arises out of a matrimonial dispute at the root of it and that the man had only transferred the amount to the joint account with his daughter as the daughter was studying abroad.

While the court refused to grant temporary bail to the applicant, Justice Desai said that the court would direct the authorities to facilitate the man’s presence at the funeral of his pet dog, in police custody.

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field.

She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.

Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.

Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.

Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues.

Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).

Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.

Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora....

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