Minister's staff denied bail, sent to custody till october 3

The special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court on Monday rejected the bail applications filed by the personal secretary, assistant and clerk of the minister for school education, who were caught accepting bribe on Thursday.

The special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court on Monday rejected the bail applications filed by the personal secretary, assistant and clerk of the minister for school education, who were caught accepting bribe on Thursday.

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After the court denied bail to three accused, who had been arrested from Mantralaya on Thursday, the trio were remanded to judicial custody till October 3. The accused — personal secretary Deepak Karande, assistant Prashant Andhare and clerk Pravin Wadke — were arrested after the ACB caught Wadke, allegedly collecting a bribe of Rs15,000 on behalf of Andhare, while Karande was also caught accepting payment of Rs50,000.

Special public prosecutor Deepak Ladhe told the court that the ACB had found Rs32,000 in the dustbin of the room where Karande was caught accepting the bribe. “We are trying to ascertain the source of the cash, which was found in the dustbin, but the accused have not been cooperating,” said Ladhe. The ACB laid a trap after receiving a complainant from the secretary of a Nashik-based educational institution, who claimed that Andhare had demanded Rs50,000 to move his file for clearance.