By IANS,
New Delhi : A city court Monday rejected the bail plea of sacked Assam education minister Ripun Borah, arrested here last week for allegedly trying to bribe an officer investigating a murder case.
The court had Saturday remanded Borah in judicial custody till June 21.
Borah, along with co-accused Mukul Pathak and R.K. Maheshwari, had moved bail applications before Special Judge S.P.Garg, who rejected them on the ground that the investigations in the murder case were in initial stages.
Lawyer I.U. Khan, appearing for Borah, argued before the court that the former minister would help the investigating agency to probe the murder, so he should be granted bail.
The court also rejected the bail pleas of other accused in the case.
Opposing the bail plea, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) contended that the investigations were in initial stages and the accused could try to influence the course of the probe.
“The accused can tamper with evidences and can influence the witnesses, who are yet to be examined and documents related to the case are yet to be traced,” the CBI told the court.
The CBI arrested Borah Tuesday on the charge of offering a bribe of Rs.1.7 million to one of its officials to influence the probe into the murder of Congress leader Daniel Topno.
The CBI alleged that Borah tried to bribe Deputy Superintendent of Police A.B. Gupta, who was probing if Borah had any role in the murder.
Borah was removed from the state council of ministers hours after his arrest.
According to the agency, Borah, along with conduit Pathak, had come to Delhi June 2 and invited the official to a hotel at Sunder Nagar in south Delhi. Pathak worked for an Assamese newspaper.