A Delhi court granted bail to Gangadhar Gunde on Friday after he was wrongly arrested by the CBI in connection with the NEET paper leak case. The development came mere hours after the probe agency nabbed key accused Rakesh Ranjan alias Rocky from Bihar during a planned operation.
The CBI had also lodged a case against an individual named N Gangadhar Appa who was later arrested in Bengaluru over a separate case. The agency had allegedly arrested Gunde due to mistaken identity as he had the same name.
The ongoing investigation has so far led to the arrest of more than a dozen suspects — each allegedly playing a role in the leak and distribution of the NEET exam papers. The central agency recently led a series of coordinated raids at multiple locations (including Patna and Kolkata) to dismantle the intricate web of individuals involved in the scandal.
According to reports, special CBI judge Ankit Singla granted bail upon furnishing of a bail bond of ₹25,000 and a surety bond of the same amount. A lawyer appearing for Gunde submitted that his name had surfaced during the CBI probe as he had met with an individual named Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav on October 2. Gunde met him in Osmanabad about his daughter's matrimonial dispute at her in-law's house and the two exchanged numbers. As per the bail plea, he had made a call to Jadhav the next day.
The CBI however contended that it was not possible to confirm the true identity of Gangadhar (the indivual the agency was searching for) as the only suspect who knew him was absconding. The probe agency cited the statement of arrested teachers Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav and Jalil Umar Khan Pathan to contend that the absconding Irenna Konagalwar knew Gangadhar.
(With inputs from agencies)
