Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Bandi Sanjay Kumar walked out of Karimnagar district jail on Friday, 7 April, after he was granted conditional bail in the SSC question paper leak case.
Kumar had made bail on Rs 20,000 surety from a Magistrate Court in Warangal on Thursday night. Sanjay Kumar is the prime accused (A1) in the case and is accused of "conspiracy to copy and leak SSC question paper."
The court set the condition that Kumar should not leave the country. He should also cooperate with the investigation and should not threaten the witnesses, the court has directed.
SSC is Telangana's Class X state board examination. Two questions papers – Telugu and Hindi – had leaked on 3 and 4 of April. Warangal Police registered a case and investigated the case as the second leak allegedly took place at a government boys' school located at Kamlapur in the district. However, Kumar was first placed on preventive arrest when he was at his residence in Karimnagar. Karimnagar Police claimed that this arrest was made to prevent him from "causing panic" by casting aspersions on the conduct of SSC examination which scores of students take.
At least 5 lakh students write the SSC examination in Telangana.
Earlier during the day, High Court of Telangana had refused to quash the remand ordered by a Warangal Magistrate Court on 5 April. Kumar was remanded till 19 April. The HC then directed Kumar's legal team to approach the Magistrate court for bail.
Who Leaked The Class X Question Papers?
According to Warangal Police, a 16-year-old student leaked the question paper to one B Prashanth, who later sent it to several persons. Prashanth is a former journalist who currently does political campaigns under the banner of an organisation named NaMo.
Warangal Police claims that Prashant had sent copies of the question paper to Bandi Sanjay Kumar on WhatsApp. Police have also claimed, based on call data records, that Kumar spoke on the phone with Prashanth and other accused in the case. A total of 11 people are named accused in the case.
The police, however, have not recovered Kumar's phone.
Kumar now stands accused of conspiracy to copy and leak SSC question paper to create panic among aspirants and general public. The BJP and Kumar have vehemently denied the allegations, and accused the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government of settling political scores.
Kumar has been a vocal critic of the BRS and had accused the government of allowing the SSC question paper leak. Meanwhile, senior leaders of the BRS have accused Sanjay Kumar of having orchestrated the leak to cast aspersions on the government.
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