On Monday, the Supreme Court annulled the first information report (FIR) filed against Goa MLA Jit Vinayak Arolkar in connection with a land grabbing case.

A bench of Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan upheld Arolkar's appeal, challenging the Bombay High Court's order that had declined to quash the cheating case filed against him.

Arolkar, the MLA from Mandrem in Goa representing the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, was named in a complaint filed by Rawloo Khalap, who accused him of selling a property, co-owned by Khalap, and defrauding him of ₹25.6 crore. The sale allegedly took place between 2013 and 2018 without the proper conversion of land, subdivision, or development of the entire property.

Arolkar argued that he was acting as a power of attorney holder for two other co-owners and that Khalap was not an owner of the property. However, the Bombay High Court rejected this claim, stating that Khalap's name, along with his ancestors, appeared in the survey records. Arolkar also contended that the dispute was civil in nature, but the High Court dismissed this argument and permitted the formation of a special investigation team to continue the probe.

This led to Arolkar filing an appeal before the Supreme Court.