Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court granted bail to Gangadhar Gunde on Friday. He was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Dehradun in connection with a NEET paper leak case linked to Maharashtra’s Latur.
Initially registered by Latur police, the case was later taken over by the CBI. Gangadhar Gunde’s lawyer, Kailash More, argued that his client was mistakenly arrested by the CBI due to a case of mistaken identity. More claimed that Gunde is not the person the CBI was originally seeking, whose full name was not disclosed in the FIR related to the NEET UG exam 2024. Another individual, N Gangadhar Appa Nanjuthappa, was later arrested by the CBI.
According to More, Gunde’s name came up during the investigation because he had met with someone named Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav on October 2.
The CBI’s counsel countered these claims, stating that a suspect named Irenna Konagalwar, who is currently absconding, could identify the Gangadhar the agency was pursuing. Therefore, it was uncertain if Gunde was indeed the individual sought by the agency.
Special CBI judge Ankit Singla granted bail to Gangadhar Gunde after hearing arguments from both sides. Gunde was required to furnish a bail bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety bond of the same amount.