Jammu: The Special Court for Anti-Corruption (CBI Cases) in Jammu granted bail to two accused persons involved in a high-profile Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment examination paper leak scam along with subsequent money laundering case.
The court found that the prosecution failed to satisfy the stringent requirements for denying bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
On August 03, 2022, the accused, Yatin Yadav and Anil Kumar Yadav, were implicated in the leakage of question papers for the Sub-Inspector recruitment examination conducted by the J&K Services Selection Board in March 2022 for filing up the posts of 1200 Sub Inspectors in J&K Police Department which was scheduled for March 27, 2022.
As per the Enforcement Directorate (ED) the accused operated a criminal conspiracy, selling examination papers to aspirants for monetary gain. The ED alleged that the scam involved approximately Rs. 2.5 crore, with transactions funneled through multiple accounts.
They further alleged that both the accused were also involved in leakage of question papers relating to Finance Account Assistant and Junior Engineers.
The ED opposed the bail, citing the socio-economic impact of the crime, but the court underscored that prolonged detention would violate fundamental rights.
The court observed that despite the gravity of allegations, no substantial monetary recovery had been made from the accused, while similarly charged individuals had been granted bail.
Special Judge Sanjay Parihar noted procedural irregularities in the custody of the accused post-arrest and emphasized their right to personal liberty.
The court granted bail to the accused persons under a few conditions, including a bond of Rs. 1 lakh each, the surrender of passports, and regular appearances before investigators. The court also warned that any attempt to influence witnesses could result in bail cancellation.