Mumbai, June 28: Some rough edges that diamond merchant Bharat Shah bared at a watchman almost four months ago nearly sent him behind bars for up to a year.

Shah, accused of abusing the Scheduled Caste club security guard, got interim bail till July 2 — hours after another judge had remanded him in custody till July 12.

Lahanu Pathare, a watchman at Goregaon’s Royal Palms resort, alleged that Shah called him names and insinuated that he was of “low birth” on February 8 this year.

According to Pathare, Shah, accompanied by a few others, were abusing his watchman colleagues after an argument when he tried to step into the altercation.

An angry Shah allegedly insulted Pathare, who belongs to a community of carpenters. The 24-year-old has been at the club for the past three years.

Shah, who had bought 25 acres in Royal Palms in 1993, has filed a case against Amir Nancy, the resort’s original owner, saying he had snatched land from him. The filing was made two weeks before the alleged fracas with Pathare.

Under the prevention of atrocities against SCs and STs act, abusing or humiliating members of the two groups in “public view” is an offence. The punishment can be up to a year in jail.

Shah, booked under the act, was told to be present before the magistrate as the police filed the chargesheet. The Borivili court, where he arrived with his son, rejected his bail plea and passed the remand order.

Shah, also a film financier, then rushed with his bail plea to a Churchgate sessions court, which set him free till July 2 on a bond of Rs 10,000.

Recently, he filed a complaint claiming he had received threat calls, purportedly from a person in Dubai. In the complaint, filed at Malabar Hill police station, Shah alleged a man calling himself Shetty threatened to “wipe him out” and his family.