Guwahati, Mar 11: The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the bail plea of University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque in the second case (Case No. 55/2025) filed against him by Patharkandi police. The court is set to announce its verdict on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in a third case registered by Gossaingaon police in Kokrajhar district, the court directed authorities not to arrest Hoque at this stage, providing temporary relief.

Hoque was first arrested on February 22 following serious allegations from 274 students who appeared for the Class 12 CBSE Physics exam at Central Public School, Patharkandi. The school is managed by the ERD Foundation, whose chairman is Hoque. On March 3, the High Court granted him bail in the first case filed by Patharkandi police. In connection with the second case, the court had earlier summoned the police to produce the case diary on March 5.

The controversy stems from USTM’s “Vision 50 Programme,” under which 214 students—mostly from outside the region—were allegedly enrolled at Central Public School without attending classes there. These students had reportedly been taking coaching at USTM’s Guwahati campus instead. Allegations surfaced that students were assured of assistance during the exam, but on the day of the test, they were left without help, leading to chaos.

Further accusations suggest that while 45 local students were allegedly assisted in cheating, the 214 others were not, sparking outrage. Reports also claim that USTM officials collected ₹5 lakh from each of the 45 students to ensure they passed.

Amid these developments, a fresh case (Case No. 31/2025) was registered against Hoque and five others at Gossaingaon police station based on a complaint by Lilawati Basumatary. She alleged that her daughter, a student under USTM’s Vision 50 Programme, was misled about her examination centre and promised unfair assistance to secure high marks.

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