Tezpur (Assam): A Sonitpur district court on Tuesday denied bail to Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), in a case involving allegations of promising students the use of unfair means in examinations.
The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class Hriday Jyoti Kashyap rejected Hoque’s bail plea after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defense.
Government advocate Munin Barua confirmed that the accused was charged under multiple non-bailable sections of the law following a complaint registered in Dhekiajuli.
Hoque, who appeared before the court via video conferencing from Tezpur Central Jail, remains in custody as investigations continue. His arrest in February was linked to allegations of facilitating malpractice in exams through his ERD Foundation, which operates various educational institutions, including a school in Assam’s Sribhumi district.
Reports indicate that students from other districts were allegedly allowed to appear for their Class 12 CBSE board exams at the Patharkandi school with assurances of unfair means.
Five teachers from the institution were also arrested in connection with the case.
While the Gauhati High Court granted Hoque bail earlier this month in two related cases registered in Sribhumi, it restrained his arrest in three other cases filed in Gossaigaon, Kokrajhar, and Barpeta.
However, Sonitpur police subsequently apprehended him in connection with a fresh case registered in the district.
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The controversy has garnered significant attention, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleging that Hoque’s activities were fraudulent.
Sarma had previously stated that the USTM Chancellor would face prolonged incarceration and accused him of fraudulently obtaining an OBC certificate in the 1990s.
Hoque was also implicated last year when the chief minister blamed him and USTM for “flood jihad,” claiming that water flow from the university campus, situated on a hill near Guwahati, was responsible for repeated flooding in the city.
