A member of the Foreigners Tribunal (FT) in Assam’s Udalguri district has been arrested on charges of demanding a bribe to release a person on bail, a senior police officer said on Thursday.
Police did not identify the complainant or the person who filed the complaint. Bhupen Chandra Pegu was arrested on Thursday on the basis of an investigation into the complaint received against FT member Bhupen Chandra Pegu on August 29, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Udalguri, Padmanabh Barua said. Police said Pegu, who has been a member of the tribunal since 2018, was accused of demanding a ₹ 15,000 bribe from a person whose case was pending before the tribunal on August 29. A first information report (FIR) was lodged against Pegu at the Mazbat Police Station under Section 308(2) (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with Section 7(a) (obtaining or attempting to obtain undue advantage to perform public duty improperly or dishonestly) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A police statement said it took action after receiving information from an informant. Baruah said Pegu was arrested on Monday and produced before the local judge.
Because of this lack of expertise and understanding of the law, the Gauhati High Court and even the Supreme Court have set aside many orders of FTs, he added.
