GUWAHATI, India, June 16 -- Gauhati High Court issued the following order on May 14:

1. Heard learned Counsel Mr. P. Mahanta for the Petitioners, Nirmalendu Saha who is the petitioner of Criminal Petition No.438/2026 and Pranjal Sharma, the petitioner of Criminal Petition No. 441/ 2026. Nirmalendu Saha was a Professor of the NEHU University, whereas Pranjal Sharma was a businessman. Charge sheet has been laid against both the petitioners, Nirmalendu Saha and Pranjal Sharma and both the petitioners have filed the aforementioned petitions to quash the charge sheet laid against them with an additional prayer to quash the FIR lodged against them. Both the petitions are taken up together as the petitions stem from the same cause of action

2. It is submitted by the learned Standing Counsel, CBI Ms. M. Kumari that the genesis of the case is that both the accused petitioners, Nirmalendu Saha and Pranjal Sarma are alleged to have been involved in engaging in corrupt financial practices for supply of contractual work to the supplier Pranjal Sharma by Nirmalendu Saha who was the Head of Department of Zoology at the time of his retirement from North Eastern Hill University, Shillong (NEHU). Charge sheet has been laid against both the accused petitioners Nirmalendu Saha and Pranjal Sharma. Charges are succinctly described as follows:-

3. Professor Nirmalendu Saha joined as Lecturer of the NEHU in the year 1988 and was working as Dean of School of Life Sciences with four departments under him viz.:

Department of Botany,

Department of Zoology,

Department of Chemistry

Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics.

3.1. He was the academic head of these departments, whereas the other accused petitioner, Pranjal Sharma, established one Company, namely M/s Molbiogen on 27.01.2014 in Guwahati. Both the petitioners will be referred to by their names for the sake of brevity. Pranjal Sama's company dealt with supply of Laboratory items related to research in biology, physics and chemistry, equipment/object/material and machines through GeM, but if the materials were not available on GeM, NEHU used to purchase it through tender. Every department has a Local Purchase committee consisting of 3 to 4 HoD or professors to purchase the items as per requirements of the department as per rules/regulation of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. In the Department of Zoology, there was a local purchase committee in which Professor S. R. Hajong was the Chairperson and the present petitioner, Nirmalendu Saha was a Member.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=I1mmm2bl4r4EREhYK63Kv2J6ndU9by42M54Pe5hVm2yFEIVt6Sei5V1S5V76pr%2Bh&caseno=Crl.Pet./438/2026&cCode=1&cino=GAHC010059652026&state_code=6&appFlag=)

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