Two Maharashtra police officers, arrested on charges of being part of the sensational stamp paper racket of Abdul Rehman Telgi, have been granted bail by the Supreme Court.

A Bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and D K Jain, granted bail to the accused -- Dattatray Krishnaji Ghule and Hitendera Manohar Vichar, both former sub-inspectors of Maharashtra police -- on the condition that they would  furnish personal bonds of Rs 50,000 each and two sureties of like amount.

The accused policemen were also asked to surrender their passports before the Special Court, Pune.

Ghule and Vichare were arrested by the CBI on October 8, 2004 for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore stamp
paper racket.

They were booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act by the CBI, which charged  them of entering into a criminal conspiracy with the Telgi gang and misusing their official position to foist cases against rival gang members.

The apex court released the duo on the reasoning that they had already been in jail for more than two years of the
three years maximum punishment provided in Section 24 of MCOCA under which they were charged.