A Sylhet court on Tuesday sent six officers from Sylhet Medical University (SMU) to jail, rejecting their bail pleas in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The order was issued by Judge Roknuzzaman of the Sylhet Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court. The six accused are Md Bilal Ahmed Chowdhury (Assistant Controller of Examinations), Belal Uddin (Section Officer), Abdul Aziz (Administrative Officer), Md. Redwan, Abdul Majid, and Tanvir Ahmed.
This development is part of a major crackdown on alleged systemic corruption in recruitment at the university. All six are named in a charge sheet the ACC submitted in April.
The case stems from a 2023 investigation by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which was launched after receiving numerous allegations of irregularities and corruption in the appointment of officials and employees at the university, established in 2018. The UGC probe identified serious misconduct by senior officials.
Based on these findings, the ACC filed a formal case on April 1, 2024, against 58 individuals, including former Vice-Chancellor Morshed Ahmed Chowdhury and Acting Registrar Md Naimul Haque Chowdhury.
In a significant escalation, the same court issued arrest warrants for all 58 accused on April 24, following the ACC’s submission of its comprehensive charge sheet on April 20. The charges pertain to alleged widespread irregularities and corruption in the appointment process at the university’s integrated district office.
“The court rejected the bail petitions and sent them to jail,” confirmed ACC Public Prosecutor Lutful Kibria Shamim.
The case continues as authorities pursue the remaining accused, including the university’s former top leadership.