Ex-billiards champ Michael Ferreira granted bail, cases stayed

HYDERABAD: Justice Raja Elango of

Hyderabad High Court

on Friday stayed all further proceedings in the criminal cases against former world billiards champion

Michael Ferreira

and four of his associates and granted them bail.

The judge also stayed the transit order against Ferreira who was brought to the city by Hyderabad police. The judge made the order on a writ plea filed by Ferreira and Malcom Desai, Srinivas and Balaji. Ferreira and his associates were directors of Vihaan Direct Selling India (Pvt) Ltd, which operated a Ponzi scheme under the name QNET -previously known as Questnet in India. Some 5 lakh investors lost money in the scheme. QNET was accused of using the banned binary pyramid business model to lure investors.

Appearing for the petitioners, senior counsel D V Sitarama Murthy told the court that an FIR could not be lodged against the petitioners based on the confession of one of the accused recorded while in police custody . He said the petitioners were ex-directors of the company and currently only shareholders in it. The senior counsel said the statement of CID Telangana was merely a copy pasted from the reply filed by Mumbai police, and officials were trying to make out a case based identically on what was done by Mumbai police.

Law course curbs eased:

Hyderabad High Court stayed for this year the decision of

Bar Council of India

imposing age-related curbs on studying law.A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A Shankar Narayana made it clear that the age limits prescribed by BCI for admission into law courses will not be applicable for admissions made in this academic year. The bench was passing interim orders in two cases filed by Bhima Rao and an another individual, who said the BCI notification stated that only persons below 20 years could join the five-year law course and persons above 30 years could not join the three-year course. The bench said the age restrictions could not be made applicable this year.