HC grants bail to corporator involved in recruitment scam

Hearing Deshmukh's petition, Justice R C Chavan asked him to pay surety of Rs 50,000 and also deposit in Kolhapur Sessions Court Rs one crore, which was allegedly paid by job aspirants as bribe to get recruited in an educational trust.

Deshmukh pleaded that he was falsely implicated in the

case filed against him by Amol Potdar. He said he had roots in the society and would not run away during the trial.

While denying that he had paid or taken money from Potdar, Deshmukh said he was willing to deposit Rs one crore alleged to have been collected as bribes from people for jobs in Swami Vivekananda Educational Institute in Kolhapur.

Deshmukh was arrested on June 29 and got bail from a Magistrate. However, the state moved for cancellation of his bail and the Kolhapur Sessions Court cancelled it and took him into custody. He then moved the High Court to seek liberty.

Potdar, who was President of Students Council of Shivaji University, had come in contact with Abhaykumar Salunke, who told him that there were 160 posts of clerks and peons lying vacant in Swami Vivekananda institution. Potdar informed his friend Pradeep Bele, who broke the news to Deshmukh.

Thereafter, Deshmukh forwarded 33 applications of job aspirants for posts of peons and clerks along with Rs 33.61 lakh to Salunkhe from time to time through Potdar.

As candidates were not offered jobs, Deshmukh allegedly asked Potdar and Salunkhe to double the amount paid by him, so that money could be returned to the applicants.

Since the money was not paid, Deshmukh and his friends

allegedly kidnapped Potdar. It was Potdar's case that he was allowed to go during captivity to bring money and he returned to the place, where he was confined.

Potdar claimed that he had gone to Mumbai to collect the money. But his mobile records did not reflect that he had gone to Mumbai.