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Ex-minister in judicial custody
Sacked Assam education minister Ripun Borah, caught here this week on charges of bribing an officer investigating a murder case, was on Saturday remanded in judicial custody till June 21.
- IANS
- Published: 00:05 June 8, 2008
New Delhi: Sacked Assam education minister Ripun Borah, caught here this week on charges of bribing an officer investigating a murder case, was on Saturday remanded in judicial custody till June 21.
Borah, along with his co-accused, Mukul Pathak and R.K. Maheshwari, appeared before Special Judge S.P. Garg, who sent them to judicial custody.
I.U. Khan, counsel for Borah, had earlier moved bail applications for the sacked minister and other co-accused.
In its reply, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) contended that the investigations were in their initial stages and the accused could try to influence the probe.
"The accused can tamper with evidence and can influence the witnesses, who are yet to be examined and documents related to the case are yet to be traced, so giving him bail at this stage will hamper the investigation," the CBI stated in its reply.
The court refused to hear the bail plea yesterday and postponed the matter for tomorrow.
Defence counsel also moved for an application in the court asking for a legal interview with the accused, which the court allowed for ten minutes.
The CBI arrested Borah Tuesday on the charge of offering a bribe of Rs1.7 million (Dh153,000) to one of its officials to influence the probe into the murder of Assam student leader Daniel Topno.
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