USTM chancellor gets bail in exam malpractice case; another hearing likely tomorrow
Hoque, after securing bail, maintained innocence, asserting that allegations stemmed from teachers misrepresenting exam assistance practices
USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Haque (Photo: @ArpanaSpeaks / X)
Guwahati, Mar 3: The Gauhati High Court on Monday granted bail to Mahbubul Hoque, chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), who was arrested last month in connection with alleged exam malpractices.
As he was escorted out of the courtroom, Hoque, while speaking to the press, dismissed the allegations, stating that teachers who objected to students receiving assistance had misrepresented the situation. He also urged them to visit the USTM campus to assess its academic environment.
"He got bail in one case today, and there is a second case on a similar allegation which will hopefully be heard tomorrow at the High Court," said a court official, who is familiar with the case.
Hoque was taken into custody in a late-night operation on February 21 after a joint team of the Assam Police and the Special Task Force (STF) apprehended him from his residence in Ghoramara, Guwahati.
His arrest stemmed from allegations that he facilitated unfair means during the CBSE Class 12 Physics examination at a school in Sribhumi.
The controversy erupted when reports surfaced that 274 students appeared for the exam at Kendriya Vidyalaya in the district, with 214 of them linked to the Education Research & Development Foundation (ERD) Group, an institution founded by Hoque.
Allegations suggest that students were promised assistance in the 30-mark MCQ section of the exam at Central Public School, Patharkandi, which operates under the USTM group.
Following his arrest by Sribhumi Police, Hoque was transferred to Dispur Police Station for further investigation. He was first presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Sribhumi on February 24 and was again produced, along with five other accused, on March 1.
After the hearing, the court remanded them to judicial custody following the completion of their four-day police custody.
Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had levelled serious accusations against the university, alleging large-scale fraud, including the sale of fake degrees and financial irregularities.
“The head of USTM himself is a fraud. The entire system is fraudulent, and the institution has been issuing fake certificates,” Sarma had claimed, further accusing Hoque of submitting a forged caste certificate.
Despite the ongoing controversy, the USTM chancellor has maintained his innocence, while investigations into the case continue.