The Bombay High Court has granted anticipatory bail to Dilip Khedkar, the father of former IAS officer Puja Khedkar, in connection with a road rage-abduction case that occurred last month. Justice N.R. Borkar presided over the bench that approved the pre-arrest bail on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

The case dates back to September 13, 2025, when a truck allegedly grazed Khedkar's SUV on the Mulund-Airoli bridge. According to police reports, Dilip Khedkar and his chauffeur, Praful Salunkhe, retaliated by abducting Prahlad Chauhan, a truck helper, and taking him to Khedkar's Pune bungalow. The Rabale police rescued Chauhan the following day.

Following the incident, Salunkhe was arrested six days later in Dhule district and remains in magisterial custody. Dilip Khedkar, however, had been evading arrest for nearly a month, according to Rabale senior inspector Balkrushna Sawant. Sawant also stated that Khedkar and his wife, Manorama, who is also implicated for allegedly obstructing police during Chauhan's rescue, had previously obtained interim bail but had not cooperated with the investigation by making themselves available for questioning.

Earlier in the week, a Navi Mumbai court had rejected Dilip Khedkar's anticipatory bail application. The police opposed Khedkar's plea, arguing that he was not cooperating with the investigation. They also claimed that Khedkar and his wife had destroyed evidence, including making a CCTV DVR disappear and hiding the SUV and the victim's mobile phone. The Belapur court had previously dismissed Khedkar's plea, stating that custodial interrogation was essential for further investigation.

In granting anticipatory bail, the Bombay High Court directed Dilip Khedkar to pay ₹4 lakh to Prahlad Kumar, the truck cleaner, within six weeks and deposit ₹1 lakh to the police welfare fund.

Manorama Khedkar had earlier secured interim pre-arrest bail in the same case. In her statement, she denied the allegations against her, claiming she was not involved in the abduction or obstructing the police.

Puja Khedkar, Dilip Khedkar's daughter, is a former IAS officer who has faced controversies, including allegations of falsely claiming disabilities and forging a backward-class certificate to pass the civil services exam.