906-ABA-2463-2026.DOC IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION ANTICIPATORY BAIL APPLICATION NO.2463 OF 2026 Vinod Ramdas Taral …Applicant Versus The State of Maharashtra …Respondent Mr. Milind A. Ingole a/w Ashwini Datar, Aishwarya Gaikwad & Rahul Prasad, for the Applicant. Ms. M. M. Deshmukh, Addl. PP, for the Respondent-State. CORAM: MADHAV J. JAMDAR, J. DATED: 13 OCTOBER 2026 PC:- 1. Heard Mr. Ingole, learned Counsel appearing for the Applicant and Ms. Deshmukh, learned Additional PP, for the Respondent-State of Maharashtra. 2. By this Anticipatory Bail Application filed under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the Applicant is seeking pre-arrest bail in connection with CR No.164 of 2025 registered with Nashik Road Police Station, Nashik City, for the offences punishable under Sections 316(5), 318(4), 336(3), 338, 340(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (“BNS”). 3. Both Mr. Ingole, learned Counsel appearing for the Applicant Page 1 Arjun 906-ABA-2463-2026.DOC and Ms. Deshmukh, learned Additional PP, for the Respondent- State of Maharashtra, pointed out various statements and documents in support of their respective cases. 4. Perusal of the record shows that the FIR was initially lodged at the instance of Bhausaheb Bhikanrao Chavan, the then Deputy Director of Education, Nashik Division, Nashik, who is the First Informant. Subsequently, during the investigation, role of said Bhausaheb Bhikanrao Chavan was disclosed in the offence and he has been arrayed as Accused. The subject FIR is concerning the appointments of 96 teaching and non-teaching staff members in various Schools/Educational Institutions falling within the jurisdiction of Nashik Division. As per the prosecution case, the management of various Educational Institutions made appointment of various teaching/non-teaching staff during the period of 2022-2024 and the said appointments have been shown as made from earlier period of 2012 onwards and accordingly arrears of salaries have been claimed from Government of Maharashtra and accordingly the same has been paid to these teachers/non-teaching staff which in many case were paid by these teachers/non-teaching staff to the office bearers of the respective Page 2 Arjun 906-ABA-2463-2026.DOC Trust who conducts said Educational Institution. 5. Insofar as this Anticipatory Bail Application is concerned, the concerned institution is “M. F. Taral Vidyalaya, Anturli, Taluka Muktainagar, District Jalgaon”. As per the prosecution case, 17 teachers/non-teaching staff members were appointed and although all these appointments were made in the year 2024, however, they were shown as having been appointed from the years 2014 to 2017 and accordingly arrears of salaries of more than Rs.2,00,00,000/- were claimed by creating false documents thereby wrongful loss has been caused to the Government exchequer . The Applicant is the Secretary of the Trust which runs the said School and has played major part in the crime. 6. Perusal of the investigation papers shows that Mr. Rajesh Shantaram Patil, who served as the Headmaster from January 2019 to May 2022, stated that the said teaching/non-teaching staff were not working in the said School during his tenure as Headmaster. Thus, the same prima facie shows that the claim made by the Applicant that these 17 teaching/non-teaching staff were appointed during 2014-2017 by publishing advertisement is not correct. Page 3 Arjun 906-ABA-2463-2026.DOC 7. During the course of the investigation, it transpired that one teacher had paid Rs.25,00,000/- to the Applicant for getting an appointment to a teaching post and for that purpose he had sold ancestral agricultural land. 8. Ms. Deshmukh, learned Additional PP also pointed out the letter dated 9th February 2026 issued by the Education Officer (Secondary), Zilla Parishad, Jalgaon, stating that the records relating to the appointments of all these teaching/non-teaching staff were not available in the Office of the Education Officer. 9. On the other hand, learned Counsel for the Applicant has relied on the letter/report dated 18th May 2026 issued by the Education Officer (Secondary), Zilla Parishad, Jalgaon. The following conclusion is recorded in the said letter/report: ßfu”d”kZ%& lnj deZpkÚ;kP;k OkS;fDrd ekU;rk vkns’k tk-dz-495 o fnukad%&09/11/2020 jksth tkod dzekad o fnukad ckcr dk;kZy;krhy eqG tkod jthLVj ph iMrkG.kh dsyh vlrk fnukad%& 09/11/2020 jksth fnid v:u oSndj ¼f’k{kdsrj½ ;kaps tkod uksanogh e/;s QsjQkj d:u ?kqlfoysys vkgs- gLrk{kjkr rQkor fnlr vkgs- lnjhy deZpkjhus ‘kkykFkZ ekU;rk izLrko tk-dz- 412 fnukad%& 03/08/2019 jksth tqGqu ;sr ukgh- lnj deZpkÚ;kph oS;fDrd ekU;rk fVi.khlg eqG uLrh dk;kZy;kr miyC/k ukgh- tkod jthLVj ph Lkk{kkadhr o Nk;kadhr izr lkscr tksMysyh vkgs- ojhy ekfgrh vkeps jsdkWMZ izek.ks [kjh o cjkscj vkgs-Þ Page 4 Arjun 906-ABA-2463-2026.DOC 10. Thus, it is clear that, in fact, the Education Officer (Secondary), Zilla Parishad, Jalgaon has stated that the records relating to the individual approval of the appointments of the said teaching and non-teaching staff members are not available in the office and that the records submitted appear to have been fraudulently prepared. 11. Thus, in the facts and circumstances, no case is made out for grant of anticipatory bail. 12. Accordingly, the Anticipatory Bail Application is rejected. x[MADHAV J. JAMDAR, J.] Page 5 Arjun