The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted bail to a constable of the CRPF and a private individual accused of cheating candidates and collecting substantial amounts on false promises of getting the candidates government jobs, directing the constable to deposit ₹15 Lakhs before the Trial Court. [2026 LiveLaw (MP) 228]

The bench of Justice Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar observed;

"there appears to be no possibility of fleeing from justice. In absence of any criminal antecedent, considering the socio- economic status of the applicants, there appears to be no likelihood of recidivism or tampering with evidence or influencing the witnesses by the applicant. There appears to be no compelling reason to continue incarceration of the applicants".

A first bail application was filed by two individuals, the first being a CRPF constable, who collected the money from the candidates, and the second being a private individual who acted as a middleman and facilitated the illegal activities. They have been in custody since March 16, 2026.

The counsel for the applicants contended that they were victims of fraud committed by the main accused, Achyutanand Azad, to whom the constable had forwarded the collected money.

The constable claimed that he was induced to collect money from candidates to secure their jobs and forward it to the main accused. However, when the constable asked for remittance of the money, the main accused threatened him of falsely implicating him in the present crime. Therefore, the constable had submitted a written complaint to the DIG of CRPF in Bhopal.

Further, the counsel also contended that the co-accused had neither received any money in his bank account nor induced anyone to give money for securing jobs. The applicants also proposed to deposit ₹15 Lakhs before the Trial Court to show their bona fide in the case.

The counsel further informed the court that the main accused, Azad, was granted bail by the coordinate bench of the court.

The counsel for the CBI opposed the application, claiming that a prima facie case was made out against the applications from the evidence available. The CBI argued that at least 21 candidates were defrauded by the applicants. The CBI further informed the court that the main accused was granted bail due to the severe illness of his daughter.

The court noted that the final report of the investigation was submitted and that the veracity of the prosecution would be examined in the Trial. However, the court also noted that the applicant's contentions had substance and cannot be dismissed as "manifestly baseless".

Thus, considering the circumstances, the court granted bail to both applications, subject to certain conditions and on personal bond of ₹50,000 each. The court also directed the constable to deposit ₹15 Lakhs before the Trial Court.

Case Title: Ramarao Mundadla and others v CBI, MCRC-14796-2026

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (MP) 228

For Applicants: Advocates Kirti Sharma and Rajendra Kumar Sen

For CBI: Advocate Vikram Singh

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