Bail rejected, Khalsa college principal, aide go to jail

A special court on Sunday rejected the bail petition of Khalsa College principal Ajit Singh Theti and his personal assistant Nikita Vaid and remanded them in judicial custody till May 23.
Theti and Vaid were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs25,000 from a student. The duo were in police custody for two days. While Theti has been sent to Arthur Road jail, Vaid will be lodged in Byculla jail.

Earlier, ACB had seized Rs4.49 lakh in cash from Theti's house and bank statements, fixed deposit documents and monthly postal saving statements worth Rs10.25 lakh from Vaid's house. An amount of Rs4 lakh was also recovered from Vaid's handbag on the day she was arrested.

"We are investigating the legitimacy of these documents. Since both of them have been changing their statements every now and then, we are finding it hard to ascertain anything at this point. However, we believe some of the cash seized could be bribe money they received from students," said an officer.

The principal had told the ACB that the amount of Rs25,000 that the police recovered was not bribe money but rent he received for giving out the school ground for a function.
Daljit Singh Bal, a former member of the college management, has in the past complained to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee, the governing body of the institution, about the mismanagement in the college.

The committee has sent a four-member panel to probe the affairs of the college. GS Walia, one of the members, said, "We will be meeting students, teachers and the police on Monday to understand the situation and address grievances, if any. We will be co-operating with the police and assure them of whatever help they require."