Col A Balasubramanian,chairman of Sri Balaji Society,was granted bail on Friday on furnishing two sureties of Rs 15,000 each. Additional sessions judge Arvind Rohee while granting the bail ordered him not to leave the country and report to the CBI (anti-corruption bureau) office every first and third Monday. S P Singh,Deputy Superitendent of Police,CBI (anti-corruption bureau) produced Balasubramanian in the court. The CBI had arrested him on Monday under Section 420 of the IPC and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act for running educational institutes without adequate land and building infrastructure and entering into a conspiracy with All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) members. Advocate Mohanrao Deshmukh,representing the CBI,said before the court,It is alleged that in 2007,the AICTE constituted an expert committee comprising Sandeep Singhal,former regional officer,AICTE,Professor V Venkatramana,dean,School of Management Studies,Hyderabad and A K Mohanty,professor,financial management,Behrampur,for an inspection of land,building and infrastructure of Balaji Institute of International Business (BIIB) regarding grant of approval to the institute. But Balasubramanian and members of the expert committee conspired to give a favourable report to the AICTE regarding BIIB knowing fully well that the institute did not fulfil the AICTE criteria. Speaking to the media,advocate S K Jain,representing Balasubramanian,said,The court has said prima facie,the sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act charged by the prosecution are not applicable. Also,right from the time CBI was questioning Balasubramanian,he has been co-operating with them and has given them all information they asked. The CBI is yet to arrest the AICTE members. Jain said the CBI has accused Balasubramanian of using the word Indian as a prefix for his institutes,saying that it is illegal. We brought to the notice of the court that a litigant got a stay in the court regarding the use of the word Indian in 2002. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court, he said.
