Tadiboina Sujatha vs State Of Andhra Pradesh And Others

K Suresh Reddy, J

The petitioner, who is Accused No.4 in Crime No.25 of 2024 of CID Police Station, Mangalagiri, filed the present application under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, seeking pre-arrest bail.

The said crime was registered for the offences under Sections 420, 409, 468, 471 r/w 120b IPC and Section 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

The case of the prosecution in brief is that the Branch head of Union Bank of India, Brodipet branch, Guntur gave a report alleging that five persons, who are A1 to A5, worked in the branch. As per the said report, the regular auditor of the Branch found certain irregularities in sanction and disbursement self help group (SHGCC) and related saving accounts of the groups. The bank conducted investigation and found siphoning of funds by transferring the amounts to saving account of different individuals, material alterations enhancing the limits without following SHG guidelines, crediting the loan amount to group saving account instead of individual saving accounts, keeping part of the loan amount in saving account for future adjustment etc. Some of the cheques related to Government sponsored schemes and issued in favour of other SHG group were transferred to individual saving accounts without verifying the genuineness of the payee. The enquiries made by the investigating officer revealed that irregularities were deliberately committed. When the transactions were placed before the fraud monitoring group, the transaction/incidents were classified as fraud. It was also found that serious irregularities were observed in crediting of Pasupu Kumkuma (scheme by Government) cheques in saving accounts of 43 self help groups. The irregularities found were that the amount received was directly credited to individual accounts without authentication for the corrections made on the cheques. Instead of crediting the amounts to SHG group accounts and therefrom to the individual accounts, the amounts were credited to individual accounts directly.

Heard. Perused the record.

The allegation made against the petitioner, who is working as an Assistant Manager in the said Bank, is that Accused No.5 is a Community Coordinator of Self Help Groups (SHG) and A.5 in collusion with the Branch Manager/A.1, misappropriated the amounts. The petitioner is only an Assistant Branch Manager. It is further contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner that the allegation made against A.4 is on par with A.5, who was already granted bail by this Court in Crl.P.No.520 of 2025, dated 29.01.2025.

In view of the above facts and circumstances, this Court is inclined to grant Anticipatory Bail to the petitioner also in the same terms.

In the event of the arrest of the petitioner with regard to this crime, petitioner/A.4 shall be released on bail on her executing a personal bond for a sum of Rs.10,000/- (Rupees ten thousand only), with two sureties for a like sum each to the satisfaction of the arresting police officials and also on condition that the petitioner shall make herself available for investigation as and when required and that she shall not cause any threat, inducement or promise to the prosecution witnesses. The petitioner shall appear before the Station House Officer concerned, once in a week i.e. on every Sunday between 10.00 a.m. and 05.00 p.m., till filing of the charge-sheet.

Accordingly, the Criminal Petition is allowed.

As a sequel, miscellaneous applications pending, if any, shall stand closed.