GUWAHATI: In a recent development, the special judge's court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to all six individuals accused in the Rs 105 crore-State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) scam in Assam. The accused individuals, identified as Hunmoni Nath, Bhaskar Hazarika, Manoj Das, David Adhikary, Benin Doley, and Rajesh Kumar Joshi, had filed bail applications but were rejected by the court.
Earlier, on June 1, a prominent member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bidyut Kalita, was suspended from the party due to his alleged involvement in the same Rs 105 crore SCERT scam. The party took immediate action and temporarily suspended Kalita from his post, pending further investigation into his alleged role in the embezzlement case.
Bidyut Kalita, a resident of Mirza, was summoned by the Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell (CM's SVC) in connection with the scam. However, it came to light that he had been evading arrest since the notice was issued to him, out of fear of being apprehended.
In a significant breakthrough, the CM's SVC apprehended two individuals, Sewali Devi Sharma and Ajit Paul Singh, on May 8. The arrest took place at the Cross Lane Hotel in Ajmer, Rajasthan, during the early hours of the morning. Both Sharma and Singh were fugitives, having fled after the discovery of the Rs 105 crore funds embezzlement case.
Alongside Sewali Devi Sharma and Ajit Paul Singh, the CM's SVC also detained Rahul Amin and household help at the hotel. All four suspects were subsequently brought back to Assam on transit remand after being presented before a court in Rajasthan.
Later that day, Sewali Devi Sharma's younger daughter, Bejeta Sharma, was arrested in connection with the Rs 105 crore SCERT scam. Bejeta Sharma was found to have received a substantial amount of money transferred into her bank account. Consequently, she was taken into custody and remanded to the central jail in connection with the ongoing investigation.
The special judge's court in Assam denied bail to all six accused individuals implicated in the Rs 105 crore SCERT scam. Additionally, AAP leader Bidyut Kalita faced temporary suspension from the party due to his alleged involvement in the embezzlement case. The Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell made significant progress by apprehending key suspects, including Sewali Devi Sharma, Ajit Paul Singh, Rahul Amin, and Bejeta Sharma, who were all connected to the scam. The investigation into the case continues as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the financial irregularities.
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