Question leak: Remand application hearing against six fixed August 6

A Dhaka court today rescheduled to August 6 the hearing on a 10-day remand appeal sought for quizzing six people, including four officials of the Public Service Commission (PSC), in connection with the case filed over leaking questions of government job exams.

The accused are PSC Deputy Directors Jahangir Alam (Sylhet) and Abu Zafar, its Assistant Director SM Alamgir Kabir, auditor Priyanath Roy, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital technician Zahidul Islam and ex-army official Noman Siddique.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ahmed Humayun Kabir set the new date as the jail authorities failed to produce them before his court today.

Jewel Chakma, an additional special police super of Cyber Investigation and Operations of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and also the investigation officer of the case, on July 11 submitted a 10-day remand appeal.

The court, however, fixed July 16 for the remand hearing. But the jail authorities failed to produce them before the court due to the quota reform movement. Later the court fixed today for the hearing.

Earlier on July 9, CID produced all the 17 accused before the court after their arrest. Of them, six accused, Syed Abed Ali, gave confessional statements before different magistrates admitting their involvement in the questions leak.

Later, the 11 others were sent to jail after their bail was rejected in the case.

Meantime, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain on July 30 rejected a bail petition of Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam, the son of Syed Abed Ali, the driver of the former chairman of the PSC.

The order came after Siam's lawyer moved it challenging the legality of the bail rejection order by the lower court on July 9.

Private television Channel 24 investigated and aired a news on the question leak of the exams conducted by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC).

The media had earlier reported that at least two deputy directors of PSC, and Abed Ali were involved in the question leak. Even, the media reported on Abed's immense wealth.

According to the report, the question-leak gang chose the recruitment test for the deputy assistant engineer of the railway held on July 5. A copy of the question was sent to the WhatsApp number of jobseekers by the syndicate at least one hour before the examination.

Before any BPSC recruitment test, the gang used to amass a huge amount of money by leaking and selling questions, the channel reported.