Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party Telangana unit president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay, who was arrested and indicted as the main culprit in the Warangal question paper leak case, appeared in court in Hanamkonda and was sent to 14 days of judicial custody.
He and two other detained individuals were sent to the Khammam jail.
The Kamalapur police charged Sanjay with IPC Sections 120 (B) (conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 447 (criminal trespass), and 505 (1) (b). (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public). He was brought before the magistrate in the latter’s official quarters behind the Hanamkonda Court Complex and remanded at about 8 p.m.
On Tuesday, three people were detained in connection with the matter, including a NaMo employee and Sanjay’s social media advisor, Booram Prashanth.
Bandi Sanjay was arrested by the Warangal police criminal conspiracy along with three other persons to create rumours and provoke a breach of peace in the ongoing SSC examination. All of them have been remanded to 14 days judicial custody. His lawyer ˙as also filed a bail petition.
The Warangal police had arrested three persons including a minor in the SSC Hindi paper leak. The paper was shared on Whatsapp minutes after the exam began. After his arrest, security has been tightened by the police in Karimnagar and Warangal districts.
Bandi Sanjay has been named the prime accused (A1) in the case.
Dismissing all claims of ‘illegal arrest’ Warangal Commissioner AV Ranganath stated that the Lok Sabah Speaker was informed about the MP’s arrest, as per the law.
Addressing the media, AV Ranganath, said that the SSC paper in the second language Hindi was leaked at the exam centre on Tuesday.
“Bandi Sanjay gave instructions to Prashanth to exploit the situation of the SSC paper leak in the Vikarabad stating that if it also happens on Wednesday it will defame the government and show it as a failure of the state government,” the remand report of police stated. The police alleged Karimnagar MP conspired with other BJP workers.
“Technical evidence by analysing the call details of the phones of the accused and Whatsapp chats of the accused proved beyond the reasonable doubt, that the accused persons are involved in a conspiracy regarding the leaking and copying of the question papers on April 4,” the police informed the court.
Three accused M Siva Ganesh, 18, B Prasanth, 33, a former journalist and G Mahesh, a lab assistant were arrested while the Warangal police issued a notice to the juvenile boy on Tuesday.
The minor along with his friend wanted to help another write the exam at the Uppala Government School under Kamalapur police station limits. On Tuesday, the minor went through the rare gate inside Government Boys School under Kamalapur Police Station at 9:30 am after the exam had begun.
The teenager then went to the first floor and with the help of a mobile phone took a photo of the question paper. He then shared it with another Ganesh through WhatsApp. The message was forwarded to a WhatsApp group `SSC 2019- 20’ by Siva Ganesh at 9:59 am.
“Mahesh saw the message and forwarded it to Prashanth, who in turn forwarded the photo of the question paper to various groups including ‘Cnu Friends’, reportedly adding captions including ‘breaking news’ and ‘question paper leaked’. The photo and message then went viral via different WhatsApp groups. Prashanth also sent the same to Bandi Sanjay and is said to have made 146 calls in about an hour.
A case under Section 120 (B), 420, 447, 505 (1)(b) of IPC and Section 4 (A), 6 The Telangana Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractice and Unfair means) Act, 66D IT Act.
