The Rouse Avenue court on Friday granted bail to Gangadhar Gunde, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with an NEET-UG paper leak case. The defence counsel argued that Gunde was wrongly arrested due to mistaken identity.
Gangadhar Gunde was arrested on June 26 from Dehradun by the CBI, which took over the case initially registered by the Latur Police at Shivaji Nagar Police Station. The special CBI judge Ankit Singla granted bail to Gunde, requiring him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety bond of the same amount.
Advocate Kailash More, representing Gunde, argued that his client was not the individual the CBI was seeking. He pointed out that the FIR was lodged against an unknown person named Gangadhar, without revealing the full name.
Later, another individual, N Gangadhar Appa Nanjuthappa, was arrested in Bengaluru by the CBI. More emphasised that Gunde's name surfaced only because of his meeting with one Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav regarding his daughter's matrimonial dispute.
The CBI, however, disputed the defence's claims. The CBI counsel argued that one suspect, Irenna Konagalwar, who is still absconding, knows the actual identity of the Gangadhar the agency was looking for.
They insisted that it could not be definitively stated that the present accused is not the same Gangadhar sought by the CBI. The counsel pointed out that the mobile number used by Gunde was the same as the one the CBI had, and there were conversations between Gunde and Jadhav.
The CBI submitted that Gunde's name came up during the interrogation of arrested teachers Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav and Jalil Umar Khan Pathan, who identified Gangadhar as part of the conspiracy.
The CBI claimed that Jadhav and Pathan were collecting initial token money and admit cards from NEET aspirants, which were then passed to Konagalwar and ultimately to Gangadhar in Delhi to increase their marks.
The CBI counsel further stated that the conspiracy involved multiple accused, with Gunde's arrest based on a complaint by the Inspector of ATS Maharashtra Police.
This complaint was named Gangadhar and included his contact number, linking him to the conspiracy. Despite the defence's argument, the CBI maintained that only Konagalwar, who is absconding, could identify the actual Gangadhar involved.
The court, after hearing both sides, granted bail to Gunde, considering the arguments of mistaken identity and the need for further verification of the allegations against him.
Gunde's phone call data records (CDR) are still awaited to provide more clarity on the case. This decision brings a temporary relief to Gunde, who has been in custody since June 26, as the investigation continues to unfold.
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