Rahul Parashar v. Union of India)

2. Heard Sri Manish Kumar Singh, learned counsel for the applicant, Sri Sushant Chandra, learned counsel the Enforcement Directorate and perused the material on record.

3. This bail application under Section 439 of Code of Criminal Procedure has been filed by the applicant- Rahul Parashar, seeking enlargement on bail during trial in connection with Case Crime No. ECIR/LKZO/39/2023, under Section 3/4 Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, Police Station Zonal Office, ED, Lucknow, in Case No. 03 / 2023.

4. This matter along with its connected matters have been nominated to this Bench vide order dated 23.07.2025 of Hon'ble The Chief Justice.

5. The present bail of accused Rahul Parashar has been expedited by Hon'ble The Apex Court vide order dated 04.07.2025 passed in 2 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 Special Leave Petition (Crl.) Diary No.33259 of 2025 (Rahul Parashar Vs. Union of India) with the request to the High Court to dispose it of within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order.

6. The facts of the case are that the police of State of Uttar Pradesh lodged three FIR's bearing numbers 414 of 2022 dated 27.8.2022, 434 of 2022 dated 6.9.2022 and 481 of 2022 dated 27.9.2022 under Sections 420, 467, 471 and 120-B IPC, Police Station Hariparvat, Agra alleging therein that on the oral directions of the then Vice Chancellor of Dr. Bheemrao Ambedkar University, Agra to check the procedure of sending copies from the center to agency which was examined in St. John's College, Agra it came to light that one Devender Singh, the driver of tempo no.U.P.80-BT-8736 has been carrying the answer-sheets of the students. The complainant followed the vehicle and noticed some abnormalities in the process of carrying copies of BAMS students from St. John's College, Agra to Digitext Agency. It was further alleged that the tempo carrying the copies of students instead of going to Digitext Agency, got diverted to some other place. The tempo was following a car being numbered as U.P.85 BY 0074. Subsequently, FIR No.434 dated 6.9.2022 and 481 dated 27.9.2022 were registered in continuation of earlier FIR no.414 dated 27.8.2022. It was alleged that after thorough inspection of the BAMS examination copies of R.B Ayurveda Medical College, Agra of the year 2020 and 2021 writings in the copies of 14 students were found different from originals. It was further alleged that after thorough inspection of the copies of the year 2016, 2018 and 2020 of MBBS of FH Medical College, Tundla, writings in the copies of 26 students were from original. Agra police SIT discovered 14 changed hand written answer-sheets which were different from the originals. Forged bar codes were impressed on these answer-sheets and thus conspirators availed wrongful gains to found different themselves. The disputed answer-sheets and booklets were seized from agency Digitext Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and were sent to Forensic Lab, Moradabad, U.P. Later on charge-sheet no.1 dated

22.11.2022 and 2 dated 12.12.2022 were filed in FIR Nos.414, 434, 482 respectively in which Umesh, Bhikam Singh and 8 other persons and staff and other Registrar were made as accused. During 3 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 investigation of CDRs and accounts statement of the accused persons, it was found that accused persons were in regular contact with each other and there were financial transactions between them. ECIR/LKZO/39/23 dated 2.6.2023 was registered against Devendra Singh and others under Section 3 of PMLA 2002. During investigation it was found that illegal gains have been obtained by the accused persons including employees of Digitext Agency which was hired by Dr. Bheemrao Ambedkar University, Agra, U.P., other persons and even students. Search under Section 17 of PMLA, 2002 was conducted at various locations on 12.7.2023 and 2.8.2023. Total 17 premises including residence of applicant, David Mario Denis, his office and residence of employees were searched.

7. Learned counsel for the applicant submitted that the applicant has been falsely implicated in the present case. It is submitted that the applicant has been granted bail in all the three case crime numbers being Case Crime No. 0414 of 2022, 0434 of 2022 and 0481 of 2022 by orders passed by this Court. It is submitted that charge-sheet in the said three matters have been filed. It is further submitted that the applicant is ex-university leader and as of now was running a P.C.O. and a computer centre around the university. It is further submitted that the scrutiny of the bank accounts of the applicant do not in any manner show that there has been money received for illegal work. It is next submitted that the investigation has not established in any manner that the proceeds of crime were taken by the applicant. While placing paragraph 19 of the affidavit in support of the bail application it is submitted that the applicant is a regular tax payer and is filing Income Tax Return from three consequential years. It is submitted that charge has not been framed yet in the present matter and the applicant is in jail since 03.08.2023 and thus the trial will take a lot of time.

8. Per contra, learned counsel for the Enforcement Directorate opposed the prayer for bail and submitted that the applicant was actively involved in the present matter. The applicant was involved in the unlawful work in changing of answer booklets of university students with forged answer sheets at the helm of the operations. He has also done the work of printing duplicate bar codes, forged mark- sheets of students and their admit cards. He was directly in touch 4 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 with other members of the gang and also with the students who were willing to get their answer sheets exchanged. The applicant apart from receiving cash money has received about more than Rs. 73 lakhs through online transactions in his bank account from the students and mediators which are the proceeds of crime due to illegal affairs done by him and other accused persons. It is submitted that the transactions in the account of Shiv Kumar and Atul Kumar from the account of the applicant were vaguely explained by the applicant. It is submitted that there were too many phone calls between Shiv Kumar Diwakar (approximately 200 times), Rahul Parashar (the present applicant) (approximately 800 times), Ajay Yadav the employee of Digitext Agency (approximately 180 times) to which he also remained evasive. There were instances where students have admitted that they have not directly transferred the commission amount to the bank account of the accused persons but instead they have transferred the amount from their relatives / friends bank accounts and thus there were transfers in the account of the applicant from various other persons. It is submitted that the prayer for bail be thus rejected. the university. The applicant was doing

9. After having heard learned counsel for the parties and perusing the record, the applicant was owning a P.C.O. and a computer centre the work of around exchanging the original answer booklets of university students with forged answer sheets and was at the helm of the operations. He had also done the work of printing duplicate bar codes, forged mark- sheets of students and their admit cards. He was directly in touch with other members of gang and also with the students who were willing to get their answer-sheets exchanged. He has received huge amount through various persons in cash and also through digital transfers in his bank account. They have not been satisfactorily answered. The matter is serious in nature. The entire post and pre- examination process was hijacked by the applicant and other co- accused persons. There has been large scale bungling in the same which was found during investigation. The entire system of the examination has been hijacked by the applicant and his team in a planner manner for monetary benefits.

10. Looking to the facts and circumstances of the case, this Court 5 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 does not find it a fit case for bail, hence, the bail application is rejected.

11. Pending application (s), if any, shall stand disposed of. September 24, 2025 AS Rathore (Samit Gopal,J.) ABHISHEK SINGH RATHOR High Court of Judicature at Allahabad

2. Heard Sri Manish Kumar Singh, learned counsel for the applicant, Sri Sushant Chandra, learned counsel the Enforcement Directorate and perused the material on record.

3. This bail application under Section 439 of Code of Criminal Procedure has been filed by the applicant- Rahul Parashar, seeking enlargement on bail during trial in connection with Case Crime No. ECIR/LKZO/39/2023, under Section 3/4 Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, Police Station Zonal Office, ED, Lucknow, in Case No. 03 / 2023.

4. This matter along with its connected matters have been nominated to this Bench vide order dated 23.07.2025 of Hon'ble The Chief Justice.

5. The present bail of accused Rahul Parashar has been expedited by Hon'ble The Apex Court vide order dated 04.07.2025 passed in 2 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 Special Leave Petition (Crl.) Diary No.33259 of 2025 (Rahul Parashar Vs. Union of India) with the request to the High Court to dispose it of within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order.

6. The facts of the case are that the police of State of Uttar Pradesh lodged three FIR's bearing numbers 414 of 2022 dated 27.8.2022, 434 of 2022 dated 6.9.2022 and 481 of 2022 dated 27.9.2022 under Sections 420, 467, 471 and 120-B IPC, Police Station Hariparvat, Agra alleging therein that on the oral directions of the then Vice Chancellor of Dr. Bheemrao Ambedkar University, Agra to check the procedure of sending copies from the center to agency which was examined in St. John's College, Agra it came to light that one Devender Singh, the driver of tempo no.U.P.80-BT-8736 has been carrying the answer-sheets of the students. The complainant followed the vehicle and noticed some abnormalities in the process of carrying copies of BAMS students from St. John's College, Agra to Digitext Agency. It was further alleged that the tempo carrying the copies of students instead of going to Digitext Agency, got diverted to some other place. The tempo was following a car being numbered as U.P.85 BY 0074. Subsequently, FIR No.434 dated 6.9.2022 and 481 dated 27.9.2022 were registered in continuation of earlier FIR no.414 dated 27.8.2022. It was alleged that after thorough inspection of the BAMS examination copies of R.B Ayurveda Medical College, Agra of the year 2020 and 2021 writings in the copies of 14 students were found different from originals. It was further alleged that after thorough inspection of the copies of the year 2016, 2018 and 2020 of MBBS of FH Medical College, Tundla, writings in the copies of 26 students were from original. Agra police SIT discovered 14 changed hand written answer-sheets which were different from the originals. Forged bar codes were impressed on these answer-sheets and thus conspirators availed wrongful gains to found different themselves. The disputed answer-sheets and booklets were seized from agency Digitext Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and were sent to Forensic Lab, Moradabad, U.P. Later on charge-sheet no.1 dated

22.11.2022 and 2 dated 12.12.2022 were filed in FIR Nos.414, 434, 482 respectively in which Umesh, Bhikam Singh and 8 other persons and staff and other Registrar were made as accused. During 3 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 investigation of CDRs and accounts statement of the accused persons, it was found that accused persons were in regular contact with each other and there were financial transactions between them. ECIR/LKZO/39/23 dated 2.6.2023 was registered against Devendra Singh and others under Section 3 of PMLA 2002. During investigation it was found that illegal gains have been obtained by the accused persons including employees of Digitext Agency which was hired by Dr. Bheemrao Ambedkar University, Agra, U.P., other persons and even students. Search under Section 17 of PMLA, 2002 was conducted at various locations on 12.7.2023 and 2.8.2023. Total 17 premises including residence of applicant, David Mario Denis, his office and residence of employees were searched.

7. Learned counsel for the applicant submitted that the applicant has been falsely implicated in the present case. It is submitted that the applicant has been granted bail in all the three case crime numbers being Case Crime No. 0414 of 2022, 0434 of 2022 and 0481 of 2022 by orders passed by this Court. It is submitted that charge-sheet in the said three matters have been filed. It is further submitted that the applicant is ex-university leader and as of now was running a P.C.O. and a computer centre around the university. It is further submitted that the scrutiny of the bank accounts of the applicant do not in any manner show that there has been money received for illegal work. It is next submitted that the investigation has not established in any manner that the proceeds of crime were taken by the applicant. While placing paragraph 19 of the affidavit in support of the bail application it is submitted that the applicant is a regular tax payer and is filing Income Tax Return from three consequential years. It is submitted that charge has not been framed yet in the present matter and the applicant is in jail since 03.08.2023 and thus the trial will take a lot of time.

8. Per contra, learned counsel for the Enforcement Directorate opposed the prayer for bail and submitted that the applicant was actively involved in the present matter. The applicant was involved in the unlawful work in changing of answer booklets of university students with forged answer sheets at the helm of the operations. He has also done the work of printing duplicate bar codes, forged mark- sheets of students and their admit cards. He was directly in touch 4 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 with other members of the gang and also with the students who were willing to get their answer sheets exchanged. The applicant apart from receiving cash money has received about more than Rs. 73 lakhs through online transactions in his bank account from the students and mediators which are the proceeds of crime due to illegal affairs done by him and other accused persons. It is submitted that the transactions in the account of Shiv Kumar and Atul Kumar from the account of the applicant were vaguely explained by the applicant. It is submitted that there were too many phone calls between Shiv Kumar Diwakar (approximately 200 times), Rahul Parashar (the present applicant) (approximately 800 times), Ajay Yadav the employee of Digitext Agency (approximately 180 times) to which he also remained evasive. There were instances where students have admitted that they have not directly transferred the commission amount to the bank account of the accused persons but instead they have transferred the amount from their relatives / friends bank accounts and thus there were transfers in the account of the applicant from various other persons. It is submitted that the prayer for bail be thus rejected. the university. The applicant was doing

9. After having heard learned counsel for the parties and perusing the record, the applicant was owning a P.C.O. and a computer centre the work of around exchanging the original answer booklets of university students with forged answer sheets and was at the helm of the operations. He had also done the work of printing duplicate bar codes, forged mark- sheets of students and their admit cards. He was directly in touch with other members of gang and also with the students who were willing to get their answer-sheets exchanged. He has received huge amount through various persons in cash and also through digital transfers in his bank account. They have not been satisfactorily answered. The matter is serious in nature. The entire post and pre- examination process was hijacked by the applicant and other co- accused persons. There has been large scale bungling in the same which was found during investigation. The entire system of the examination has been hijacked by the applicant and his team in a planner manner for monetary benefits.

10. Looking to the facts and circumstances of the case, this Court 5 BAIL No. 55061 of 2023 does not find it a fit case for bail, hence, the bail application is rejected.

11. Pending application (s), if any, shall stand disposed of. September 24, 2025 AS Rathore (Samit Gopal,J.) ABHISHEK SINGH RATHOR High Court of Judicature at Allahabad