By Our Reporter
Shillong: Giving a partial respite to absconding chancellor of CMJ University — Chandra Mohan Jha, the Supreme Court has directed the Meghalaya police or any other arresting authority to release Jha on bail immediately after his arrest.
Passing this order, a division bench comprising Justice AK PatnaiK and Justice MY Eqbal issued a notice to the Meghalaya government to respond to an anticipatory bail petition filed by Jha, who is wanted by Meghalaya police in connection with fraud and irregularities into the functioning of the varsity.
“In the event the petitioner is arrested in connection with CID Case No 2 (04) of 2013 Under Sections 420, 406/466 IPC, he will be released on bail to the satisfaction of the arresting authority,” the apex court said. However, the court has not fixed any date for taking up the next hearing on the anticipatory bail application.
Jha, also the proprietor of the controversial university, has been facing charges of violating norms while awarding PhD degrees to students.
The Meghalaya High Court had earlier rejected the anticipatory bail application filed by Jha after the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) here had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.
The CMJ Foundation is also challenging the order of the former Governor RS Mooshahary which was issued on April 30 wherein certain discrepancies in the functioning of the private university were pointed out. Several directives were also issued to the foundation.
Mooshahary had lodged an FIR against the CMJ University for flouting rules and ordered that the degrees issued by it should be derecognized.
The Criminal Investigation Department has registered a case (No 2(4) 2013) was subsequently registered against the university and Jha under section 406/420/466 IPC. (With inputs from UNI)
