Charges framed against DSP of Dhubri (HQ) in bribery case

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Court of the Special Judge here has framed charges against the then Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Dhubri (HQ), Bhaskar Ojah, in a case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Assam Police Act, 2007.

Ojah is accused of having demanded a bribe from one Ariful Islam, the brother of an accused person, for forwarding the relevant case diary to the court to facilitate hearing of a bail petition in 2018. The case against Ojah was initially registered at the Dhubri Police Station on the basis of a complaint lodged by Ariful Islam and subsequently the matter was investigated by the CID.

During investigation into the allegation against Ojah, the Investigating Officer (IO) seized some incriminating articles, including a mobile phone, collected documents and recorded the statements of witnesses. The IO sent the mobile phone to the Forensic Science Laboratory and after collecting the report and obtaining the Prosecution Sanction Order, submitted a charge sheet against Ojah.

It is stated that Ojah refused to forward the case diary pertaining to Islam's brother to the court unless he was paid illegal gratification of Rs 1 lakh. Islam paid Ojah an amount of Rs 60,000 in the latter's office chamber. Thereafter, Ojah again contacted Islam over phone and demanded that the rest of the bribe money be handed over to his orderly Krishna in his official residence. Accordingly, Islam handed over an amount of Rs 25,000 to the orderly, but later lodged a complaint in this regard in the Dhubri Police Station.

The Special Court Judge observed at a recent hearing of the case that there are grounds for presuming that Ojah has committed offences punishable under law and hence framed charges against him.

Deposition of prosecution witnesses in the case will commence in September next.

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