PSI scam: Court grants bail to husband of prime accused

The Kalaburagi Bench of Karnataka High Court, on Tuesday, granted bail to Jnana Jyothi Education Society president Rajesh Hagaragi, in connection with the Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) recruitment exam scam.

He was arrested by the Central Investigation Department on April 7 for helping his wife, prime accused Divya Hagaragi—a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former president of the Kalaburagi women’s wing of BJP—to flee from her house.

Judge M G Uma observed that Rajesh Hagaragi’s bail cannot be denied just because he was the husband of the prime accused. The judge also observed that there was no serious evidence against Rajesh apart from charges under section 212 of Indian Penal Code, of harbouring the prime accused, who was his wife.

However, the judge made the bail conditional to the fact that Hagaragi must not try to destroy any evidence, and he was not allowed to go outside the limits of the police station concerned without permission.

Special public prosecutor Kiran Jawali, who argued in favour of the CID, objected against Hagaragi’s bail contending that the PSI recruitment scam was a big economic offence, and Rajesh had committed a big crime by harbouring the prime accused.

However, advocate Avinash Upalaonkar, who appeared for the applicant, argued that the 15th accused in the scam, Mallikarjun Melakundi, was given bail even though the charges against him were of common intention of crime, criminal conspiracy, evidence tampering and harbouring an offender. Yet the bail for his client was being rejected despite there being lesser or similar charges against the client, Upalaonkar argued.