Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has refused bail to Santosh Sathe, a clerk at K J Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce, arrested for his alleged role in a forgery and admission racket involving fake marksheets and school leaving certificates for 2024–25 FYJC admissions.
Justice Neela Gokhale, while rejecting Sathe’s plea on September 30, said, “Such acts are likely to affect the future of aspiring candidates. The entire level playing field is disturbed, playing havoc with students’ lives and careers, making this a serious offence.”
The Tilak Nagar police registered an FIR on December 16, 2024, against Sathe and nine others under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act for cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and identity theft. The college’s principal, Kishan Pawar, lodged the complaint alleging that certain staffers and outsiders had fabricated marksheets for admission purposes.
According to police, Sathe’s involvement emerged from a parent’s statement claiming that he and another staffer, Raju, demanded ₹1.7 lakh to secure admission. Sathe was arrested on December 27, and his earlier bail plea was rejected by the sessions court on April 7.
In the High Court, Sathe’s lawyer Balwant Salunkhe argued that no money was recovered from him, no charges had yet been framed, and that co-accused had already been granted bail. However, public prosecutor Anamika Malhotra countered that Sathe’s role was graver since he was a college employee, directly involved in manipulating the admission process.
Justice Gokhale agreed with the prosecution, observing that parity with co-accused was not applicable as those released were not college employees. She noted that another co-accused had even withdrawn his bail plea after the HC expressed reluctance to grant it.
Calling it a “serious and non-fit case for bail,” Justice Gokhale denied Sathe’s application but directed the trial court to expedite the proceedings, as Sathe has been in custody since December 2024. She clarified that the HC’s remarks were prima facie and should not influence the trial court’s final judgment.
