Kaushik Debnath, a programmer at the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC), has been denied bail and sent to jail after surrendering in a case filed at Paltan Model Police Station over allegations of leaking BCS exam questions.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Shahjahan Kabir issued the order Monday, August 17, following a hearing. The relevant court’s bench assistant, Md Riaz Hossain, disclosed the information.
Defendant Kaushik Debnath surrendered before the court that day. His lawyer, Md Shariful Islam, then filed a bail application, arguing that the allegations against the defendant in the FIR and charge sheet were entirely false, baseless, and fabricated, and that he was not involved in the incident. The prosecution opposed bail. Following arguments from both sides, the court denied bail and ordered him sent to jail. He had earlier surrendered before the High Court on July 7 seeking bail, and the court had directed him to surrender within six weeks.
On July 8, 2024, CID Sub-Inspector Nippon Chandra Chanda filed a case at the capital’s Paltan police station under the Bangladesh Public Service Commission Act, naming 31 individuals along with 50-60 unidentified accused. Following investigation, the case’s investigating officer, CID Additional Superintendent of Police Sumon Kumar Saha, filed a charge sheet on May 18 against 55 people, including Abed Ali.
The charge sheet states that under the leadership of Abed, the alleged ringleader of the question-leaking ring, exam questions along with answers were delivered to selected candidates before the exam. Candidates were brought to a designated location to memorize the questions and answers, then sent to their exam centers on the day of the test. In exchange, they paid large sums of money in advance. The ring’s operations extended across various districts nationwide. The investigation found that the network included government employees, current and former PSC officials and staff, businesspeople, medical professionals, students, and people from various other professions. The charge sheet states the network extended from the Bangladesh Government Press (BG Press) to various government institutions and private NGOs. The organized ring operated for an extended period in leaking exam questions, breaching exam confidentiality and calling the state’s recruitment system into question. The defendants have been charged under Sections 11 and 15 of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission Act, 2023.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report