Ripun remanded to 3-day CBI custody

Ripun remanded to 3-day CBI custodyBy A Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, June 4 — A special Court at the Patiala House, Delhi, today remanded Ripun Bora and his associate, Ramesh Maheswari, a businessman, to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for three days and his bail application will be heard only after the completion of the remand period. Ripun Bora, along with the businessman, were arrested in a hotel in the Mathura Road in New Delhi on charges of trying to offer a bribe of Rs ten lakh to a DSP of the CBI, who is the investigation officer of the case relating to murder of Daniel Topno in Dhekiajuli in September, 2000. The Chief Minister dropped Ripun Bora from his Cabinet immediately after his arrest and the State Governor accepted the recommendation of Gogoi for dropping Bora from the Ministry last night.Bora, along with his associate, were brought to the Patiala House Court by a team of CBI officials at around 10 am today but their advocates sought more time to file the bail petition as they were not informed of the charges on time. The accused were produced again at 12 noon and the CBI sought them in custody for three days for questioning. The Court remanded Bora and Maheswari to CBI custody for three days and the bail application will be heard only on June 7. The CBI informed the Court that Ripun Bora and Maheswari tried to offer a bribe of Rs ten lakh to DSP AD Gupta, who is investigating the murder of Daniel Topno. A part of the notes seized from Bora were withdrawn from the IDBI Bank branch in Guwahati, while, the bag, in which, the notes were taken, was also bought in Guwahati. However, Mukul Pathak, a journalist, who was arrested from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport here by the CBI, was not produced in the court today.A team of advocates led by noted advocate IU Khan represented Bora and his associate in the Court today and they pleaded that the CBI did not follow the norms while arresting the accused. The CBI should have informed the Delhi police of the arrests immediately, which was not done.Interestingly, former Minister and advocate Nilamani Sen Deka was also present in the Court today.A number of media persons and photographers were present in the Court premises today and the CBI officials whisked Bora away immediately after the pronouncement of the order. However, Bora reportedly told the media persons that he was the victims of a political conspiracy.Meanwhile, the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who said yesterday that the law would take its own course, dropped Bora from the Ministry and refrained from making any comment on the issue today. However, he has not yet allotted the Education Portfolio to anyone.