Gangadhar Gunde Granted Bail in NEET Paper Case
New Delhi, India – On Friday, the Rouse Avenue court granted bail to Gangadhar Gunde, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) due to mistaken identity in a NEET paper case linked to Latur, Maharashtra.
Arrest and Bail Details
Gangadhar Gunde was arrested on June 26 from Dehradun. The case was initially registered by the Latur Police at Shivaji Nagar Police Station and later taken over by the CBI. Special CBI judge Ankit Singla granted bail to Gunde after hearing arguments from both the CBI and Gunde’s counsel. Gunde was granted bail on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety bond of the same amount.
Arguments from Both Sides
Advocate Kailash More, representing Gunde, argued that Gunde was wrongly arrested due to mistaken identity. The actual person the CBI was looking for was N Gangadhar Appa Nanjuthappa, who was later arrested in Bengaluru. More also mentioned that Gunde’s name surfaced during the investigation because he met Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav in Osmanabad regarding a matrimonial dispute involving his daughter.
On the other hand, the CBI counsel argued that another suspect, Irenna Konagalwar, who is absconding, knows the real identity of the Gangadhar they were looking for. The CBI also pointed out that Gunde’s mobile number was used in the case and that he had conversations with Jadhav.
Case Background
The CBI had lodged the case against unknown persons related to the NEET UG exam 2024. The investigation revealed that Jadhav and another teacher, Jalil Umar Khan Pathan, were involved in collecting token money and admit cards from NEET aspirants and sending them to Konagalwar, who then passed them to Gangadhar in Delhi to get their marks increased.
Gunde was arrested on the night of June 25-26 in Dehradun and was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court on June 27. He was initially remanded to CBI custody until June 30 and then sent to judicial custody on July 12.
