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New Delhi, Nov 18: The Supreme Court granted bail to Enforcement Directorate Assistant Director Vishal Deep, who was arrested by the CBI in a case for allegedly demanding bribes from two college administrators during an investigation into Himachal Pradesh scholarship scam.
A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma set aside the order passed by the Punjab & Haryana High Court on August 1 that had refused him bail.
Taking note of the fact that chargesheet has already been filed, and considering the period of incarceration, the Court chose to grant relief to the officer.
The Court ordered that the officer be released on bail on conditions to be fixed by the trial court.
The FIRs, both registered on December 22, 2024, were based on complaints by Bhupinder Kumar Sharma, chairman of Dev Bhumi Group of Institutions in Una, and Rajneesh Bansal, chairman of Himalayan Group of Professional Institutions in Sirmaur.
They alleged that bribes of Rs 55 lakh and Rs 60 lakh were demanded to shield them from arrest in the ongoing ED and CBI investigations into an alleged scholarship scam.
Vishal Deep, then posted in Shimla as the ED investigating officer, was accused of seeking bribes while using false identities.
Acting on the complaints, the agencies conducted a joint trap. According to the CBI, two vehicles, one registered in Vishal Deep's name and another in the name of his brother, tested positive for traces of phenolphthalein, the chemical typically used in trap operations.
The High Court had denied the officer bail after observing that the allegations prima facie were serious showing grave abuse of official power.
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