PESHAWAR, Jan 15: A local court on Tuesday granted bail to the principal of a local private school, accused of fraud and cheating his students and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Peshawar.

The court presided over by judicial magistrate Hafiz Naseem Akber directed that the accused-applicant, Shakeel Ahmad, should be released on furnishing two sureties of Rs200,000 each.

The applicant is the principal of Computer Public School, and had registered his students on the name of another school, Iqra Public School, in connivance with some officials of BISE for the secondary school certificate examinations last year.

When 20 of his students appeared during the examination in the examination hall meant for students of Iqra Public School, they were disqualified for appearing in any exam for a period of six years. Later on, their disqualification period was reduced to three years.

Finally, the Peshawar High Court ended their disqualification on the ground that the students were not responsible for the wrongs committed by the school’s administration. Advocate Mahmud Alam Khan appeared for the applicant and argued that the principal was not responsible for the acts of the BISE officials.

He added that he had approached the BISE for the registration of his students and he was deceived by the officials who instead of registering them as students of Computer Public School, registered them with some other school.

He added that neither any fake stamp was recovered from the applicant nor were his signatures present on any document which could connect him with the commission of the offence.

An FIR was registered against Shakeel Ahmad on Oct 16, 2002, at Mathani police station by the administration of Iqra Public School under section 419, 420 and 468 of Pakistan Penal Code.

The BISE had also held an inquiry in that connection and held three officials responsible for fraud.