The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused anticipatory bail to Shahnaz Hussain in a case concerning alleged payments made for securing admission to an MD/MS (NEET-PG) course. Justice Virinder Aggarwal held that, at this stage, custodial interrogation could not be considered unwarranted as the investigation required tracing the alleged money trail and examining the roles of persons said to be involved.
Background of the Case
The case arose from FIR No. 0082 dated April 17, 2026, registered at Police Station Faridabad Central under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).
According to the prosecution case recorded in the order, the complainant came into contact with persons who allegedly represented themselves as educational consultants and claimed they could facilitate his son’s admission to an MD/MS (NEET-PG) course at a reputed medical college.
The complainant allegedly paid about ₹14.25 lakh on different occasions towards admission and consultancy charges. When admission was not secured, further amounts were allegedly demanded. The complainant also alleged that his request for a refund was refused and that threats were subsequently extended.
The petitioner, however, maintained that the transaction was part of a consultancy arrangement and that she had informed the complainant about counselling for stray-vacancy seats. It was also submitted that she had joined the investigation after receiving notice under Section 35(3) of the BNSS and had supplied the documents sought by the investigating agency.
Court’s Observation
Justice Virinder Aggarwal examined the financial transactions and the agreement relied upon by the petitioner. The Court noted that the agreement concerning Career Plan-B contemplated financial consideration of ₹3 lakh, including ₹50,000 as registration charges and ₹2.5 lakh as consultancy charges.
However, the allegations indicated that ₹10 lakh was transferred to the bank account of the petitioner’s father, while another ₹2.75 lakh was allegedly transferred through PayTM to the petitioner’s account. The Court observed that the “magnitude and manner” of these transactions prima facie went beyond the consultancy arrangement projected by the petitioner.
The Court further noted that the allegations concerned an alleged attempt to bypass the regulated process for postgraduate medical admissions by obtaining a medical seat against monetary consideration.
“If substantiated,” the Court said, such conduct could affect the fairness, transparency and institutional integrity of the medical admission system.
Decision
The High Court held that custodial interrogation was necessary at this stage to allow investigators to trace the complete money trail, determine the source and destination of the alleged payments, identify persons allegedly forming part of the network and examine their respective roles.
At the same time, the Court made it clear that it was not deciding the merits of the allegations or the petitioner’s ultimate culpability.
Justice Virinder Aggarwal concluded that the petitioner did not merit anticipatory bail at this stage and dismissed the petition.
Pending miscellaneous applications were also disposed of as a consequence.
Case Details:
- Case Title: Shahnaz Hussain v. State of Haryana
- Case Number: CRM-M-41736-2026 (O&M)
- Judge: Justice Virinder Aggarwal
- Decision Date: August 14, 2026
