A Mumbai sessions court has denied anticipatory bail to an education consultant accused of defrauding a city-based educational society of a substantial sum of money, promising to secure crucial permissions from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
Court Rejects Bail Plea, Cites Serious Allegations
Additional Sessions Judge P A Sable rejected the anticipatory bail application of the consultant, Anupama Khaitan. The court noted the serious nature of the allegations, which involve a sum of Rs 75.5 lakh. The case revolves around the Saraswati Mandir Education Society in Mahim, which claims it paid the money to secure permission to start classes 9 and 10 under the CBSE board.
"As per the allegations, the applicant cheated Saraswati Mandir Education Society by failing to secure permission for establishment of Classes 9 and 10 despite receiving payment. The offence relates to an educational institution," the judge observed. The court also pointed to a critical audit finding: "Though the applicant contends she was engaged only for teacher training, the audit reveals payments to her firm, while teachers deny having received such training."
Details of the Alleged Fraud and Defence
The case originated from a complaint filed by the society's former vice-president, Dr. Manohar Kamath. Based on his complaint in November, the Mahim police registered a case against five former office-bearers of the society and the consultant, Anupama Khaitan. The prosecution stated that the secretary, chairman, trustees, and committee members of the society had engaged Khaitan for her services.
Khaitan, who is the proprietor of Paribhasha Education Services, has claimed innocence. Her defence highlighted an approximate four-year delay in the filing of the First Information Report (FIR), suggesting false implication. She asserted that her work was limited to educational consultancy, including teacher training, academic audits, quality control, and support for National Education Policy (NEP) compliance. She explicitly denied undertaking any work related to obtaining CBSE licensing for the school.
In her statement, Khaitan claimed she conducted financial literacy training under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and received Rs 49.27 lakh from the Saraswati Trust as legitimate consultancy charges.
Implications and Next Steps
The rejection of anticipatory bail by the sessions court is a significant development in this case, which pits the claims of a prominent educational society against a professional consultant. It underscores the legal risks associated with financial transactions in the education sector, especially concerning affiliations and permissions from national boards like CBSE.
With the bail plea denied, the legal proceedings are expected to intensify. The case will now proceed based on the police investigation, which will need to scrutinize the audit reports, the MoU, and the exact nature of services promised versus those delivered. The outcome is being closely watched as it touches upon issues of trust, financial accountability, and regulatory compliance within India's private education system.
