CHENNAI: Madras HC has pulled up the Tamil Nadu Police for opposing bail to an accused in a cheating case on the ground that he would flee since he was a “north Indian”.“A person’s place of origin is not a ground for apprehending that he will flee. The petitioner (accused) has lived and worked in Chennai for more than two decades. Such an averment ought not to have appeared in an affidavit sworn by a police officer,” Justice N Ramesh said Tuesday. HC then granted conditional bail to the petitioner, Ankur Kumar Jani, and asked him to appear before the investigating officer as and when required.The issue pertains to an arrangement between FIITJEE Limited and Suguna PIP School, Coimbatore, to conduct integrated coaching for students preparing for the JEE and NEET examinations. As per the course scheme, each candidate was required to pay a refundable caution deposit of Rs 1 lakh. However, since the institutions failed to refund the deposit as promised, one person, who paid the deposit for his son, filed a complaint against Dinesh Kumar Goyal of FIITJEE Limited and Lakshmi Narayanasamy of Suguna PIP School. Jani was not named in the complaint or in the FIR. Police said he was named in view of an agreement dated Feb 26, 2011, which he is said to have signed on behalf of FIITJEE with the school. It was alleged the petitioner, along with others, has caused losses to 262 parents to the tune of Rs 2.62 crore. The first accused is said to be absconding, and the second accused has obtained anticipatory bail.On July 15, Ankur was arrested and had been in judicial custody since then.
