APDCL recruitment scam: Bail granted to 10 accused persons

In connection with the alleged irregularities during the APDCL (Assam Power Distribution Corporation Limited recruitment process
APDCL recruitment scam: Bail granted to 10 accused persons

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In connection with the alleged irregularities during the APDCL (Assam Power Distribution Corportation Limited recruitment process, the Guwahati High Court -- on Wednesday -- granted bail to all the 10 persons arrested by the CMSVC (Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell) earlier.

The single bench of Justice Hitesh Kumar Sarma directed that each of them "should furnish bail bond of Rs 50,000 with two suitable sureties each of the like amount, to the satisfaction of Special Judge, Assam".

The Court also gave some conditions. These are: The accused-petitioners "shall not leave the territorial jurisdiction of Special Judge, Assam, without prior written permission from him; they shall not hamper with the investigation, or tamper with the evidence of the case; they shall not, directly or indirectly, make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or to any police officer.

The Court further said that the petitioners "shall appear and attend the investigating police officer of the case as and when called for in connection with the investigation of the case", adding that the petitioners shall not contact each other as well as any of the witnesses of the case -- in any manner -- during the investigation of this case.

The arrested 10 accused persons are Dipankar Dehingia -- OSD (Officer on Special Duty) to the Chairman, APDCL; Mohd. Ataur Rahman alias Ataur Rahman -- a Member of the Recruitment Board of APDCL; Tridib Sarma -- the person entrusted by the Gauhati University for checking of answer scripts of the examination; as well four employees of NEICOM -- Biswajit Barman, Dulumoni Deka, Farha Alom, Jayanta Deka, and Kangkan Sarma. They are employees of NEICOM -- a private firm entrusted by GU (Gauhati University) for scanning the OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheets of the recruitment process involved in this case; Sasanka Saika -- LDA (Lower Division Clerk) in GU; and Babilon Kakati -- guard of the strong room where the OMR sheets of the examination of the APDCL were kept.

Mentionably, the IO had appealed to the Special Judge, Assam for extension of time to complete the investigation. However, the Court said that it does not "appear that there is any provision in the Criminal Procedure Code providing for extension of time to complete investigation in a case of instant nature, beyond the period of 60 days".

The APDCL had initiated the recruitment process for the posts of Office-cum-Field Assistant, Sahayak and Light Vehicle Driver, in 2019. Altogether 1,80,000 candidates appeared in the APDCL examination.

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