Guwahati, March 18: A Tezpur court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque, who was arrested in connection with a case registered at Dhekiajuli police station.
Hoque was rearrested on March 12 by Dhekiajuli police shortly after the Gauhati High Court granted him bail in another case (Case No. 55/2025) registered at Patharkandi police station in Sribhumi district. He has been charged under Sections 111(4)/318(4)/316(5)/336(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 11(1) of the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
Earlier, on March 12, the Gauhati High Court not only granted him bail in the Patharkandi case but also blocked his arrest in three other cases filed in Gossaigaon, Kokrajhar, and Barpeta.
Hoque was first arrested on February 22 following allegations from 274 students who appeared for the CBSE Class 12 Physics exam at Central Public School, Patharkandi—a school managed by the ERD Foundation, of which he is the chairman. The High Court granted him bail in the first case on March 3.
The controversy stems from USTM’s “Vision 50 Programme,” under which 214 students, mostly from outside the region, were allegedly enrolled at Central Public School without attending classes there. Instead, they reportedly received coaching at USTM’s Guwahati campus. Allegations surfaced that students were promised assistance during the exam, but on the day of the test, they were left stranded, leading to chaos and complaints.
Along with Hoque, five others—Hiramani Saikia, Bijoy Dutta, Rezzak Ali, Numaan Ahmed, and Imdadur Rahman—were also arrested in connection with the case.
Hoque was virtually produced before the court on Tuesday.
