Panchkula, Jan. 20 -- A court here has dismissed the anticipatory bail application of Kuldeep Singh, 60, former deputy director of the Haryana education department, in connection with a scholarship scam amounting to Rs.1.97 crore. According to the allegations, Rohitash Institute of Management and Technology in Mahendergarh embezzled funds under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme by submitting forged award rolls and fabricated documents. Singh served as the deputy director (scholarship) during the period in question - from February 2017 to October 2018. The case was brought to light by the director general of higher education following which an FIR was registered at the Sector 5 police station, involving charges of forgery, cheating, criminal conspiracy and corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act in 2018. The investigation, initially handled by local police, is currently being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Gurugram. Defence counsel argued that Singh, a resident of Sector 6 in Panchkula, is being used as a "scapegoat" by the investigating agency. "He has no prior criminal record and has no role in the fraud. No recoveries are needed from him, making custodial interrogation unnecessary," they maintained. However, the public prosecutor opposed the bail, noting that Singh had evaded notices to appear before investigators in December and January. "This demonstrates an intent to evade the law, thereby disqualifying him from equitable relief under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS)," the prosecution argued. The prosecution presented evidence that Singh allegedly verified and approved forged award rolls for 53 MBA students for the 2017-18 session. This facilitated the wrongful disbursement of crores of rupees to non-existent beneficiaries. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that fake records for another 698 students had been sanctioned in connivance with department officials, resulting in the misappropriation of approximately Rs.1.97 crore. In its January 17 order, the court emphasised the seriousness of the allegations. The judge noted that custodial interrogation is indispensable to trace the money trail and recover electronic devices used to forge degrees....