Court grants anticipatory bail to Shrikant Bapat

Mumbai, Apr 19 (UNI) A special anti-corruption bureau (ACB) court today granted anticipatory bail to former Mumbai Police Commissioner Shrikant Bapat and MPSC member Ashok Chitnis, who who filed applications fearing arrest in the 2001 MPSC scam case.

Additional Sessions Judge P N Deshmukh granted anticipatory bail to both on a bond of Rs 25,000 each with a direction that they should attend the ACB office for 15 days between 1000 hrs and 1600 hrs and cooperate with investigating officers.

The judge, after hearing both the prosecution as well as the defence on April 17, had reserved the order for today.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) S B Poojari, who is the investigating officer, had summoned Mr Bapat and Mr Chitnis for questioning in connection with the alleged favours to the three Lohar brothers in the MPSC examination.

Incidentally, both were members of the Commission between 1994 and 1999 and are alleged to have played a role in the recruitment of the three Lohar brothers as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySPs).

The scam came to light in 2001 when it was found that in 1998-99, a racket operated within the Commission favouring the selection of candidates in its examinations.

The three Lohar brothers- Nitin, Manoj and Sunil-- who were dismissed by the State Government recently, had been selected through MPSC. They are accused of clearing the examination by manipulating the results in 1997.

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