GUWAHATI, India, June 24 -- Gauhati High Court issued the following order on May 26:

1. Heard Mr. A.M. Bora, the learned senior counsel assisted by Mr. D.K. Baidya, the counsel appearing for the petitioners. Also heard Mr. K. Gogoi, the learned Public Prosecutor, Assam.

2. On 21.02.2025, Inspector of Police Someswar Konwar lodged an FIR alleging that on 21.02.2025, 274 students appeared in the Physics Examination of 12 Standard CBSE Examination at Central Public School (hereinafter referred to as the CPS), Patharkandi. The CPS is run by Guwahati based organisation called ERD Foundation, which is actually run by another institution called USTM, though situated at Meghalaya, it is adjacent to Guwahati city.

3. Out of the aforesaid 274 students, 15 of them were from Adarsha Bidyalaya, Patharkandi and 45 of them were students of CPS, Patharkandi.

4. It is alleged in the FIR that the remaining 214 students, though enrolled in CPS, they never attended any class there, rather they were attending classes at USTM under the programme called "Vision 50".

5. Those 214 students were promised by the USTM authorities that while they will be writing papers, in their 12 Standard CBSE examination, they will be assisted by the Invigilators so that they could easily pass the examination. But the Invigilators actually did not assist those students at the time of writing papers in the examination.

6. It is also alleged that those students felt aggrieved by the conduct of the Invigilators and brought a new allegations against the Invigilators that they actually helped 45 students of CPS by allowing them to adopt unfair means to clear their papers. Some of the so-called aggrieved students also alleged that the USTM authority received an amount of Rs.5 lakh from each of them on a promise that they will be allowed to clear the Class-XII Standard Examination.

7. In the said FIR, the Vice-Chancellor of USTM was named as the principal accused. FIR also named 5 other persons, who worked at USTM. On the basis of this FIR, police registered the Patharkandi P.S. Case No.54/2025.

8. On 24.02.2025, another FIR was lodged by the General Secretary of a Students Organization at Kokrajhar. In the said FIR, it is stated that USTM authorities trafficked students from various districts from Assam to Sribhumi for allowing them to sit in the examination. The students were allegedly promised by the USTM authority that it will help them to adopt unfair means in the examination for getting higher marks in their papers.

9. According to the informant, those students who were taken to Sribhumi, they never studied at CPS, Patharkandi. The informant alleges that the USTM authorities promised them that they will clear JEE/NEET examination for getting admission in Medical and Engineering Colleges.

10. As in the FIR dated 21.02.2025, the same set of persons were shown as accused in this FIR. On the basis of this FIR, police registered the Kokrajhar P.S. Case No.61/2025.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=A9S7c5LDIsB6RXaCf816x3z%2F1HolDRFHmYwYhhj%2BPAVgt7aSbyNEiBZxyc6eIHHv&caseno=Crl.Pet./318/2025&cCode=1&cino=GAHC010054942025&state_code=6&appFlag=)

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.