Key Figures in Jharkhand Cricket Association Scam Get Bail as Court Considers the Case Can Be Argued Without Custody
Jharkhand State Cricket Association scam accused surrender in Jamshedpur court, get bail amid claims that the case can be argued without holding them in custody.
JAMSHEDPUR – In a surprising turn of events, the accused in the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JCCA) scam surrendered themselves in a Jamshedpur court on Thursday. However, the court decided to grant them bail.
The accused, Rajesh Verma, Govind Mukherjee, and Ranjit Kumar, were given bail by Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Nishant Kumar after arguments were presented by their advocates Tapas Mitra and Prakash Jha.
Prakash Jha informed the court that there is no need to keep the accused in custody as the case could be argued without that provision.
Notably, Amitabh Chaudhary, another individual who had been accused in the same scam, has passed away.
Former Ranji player Ujjwal Das had lodged an FIR against JSCA officials for the embezzlement of Rs 196.23 crore at the Bistupur police station.
According to the FIR, the accused allegedly misappropriated the funds, which had been granted by the BCCI in the financial year 2013-14 for the development of cricket infrastructure including the stadium.
Instead, the stadium was commercialized, involving various activities including a restaurant.
The misappropriation involved the diversion of these funds to other areas, contravening rules set by both the BCCI and the JSSC.
The lower court had previously taken cognizance against all the accused individuals in the case.
