Bail plea of Rumi Nath and husband rejected

Guwahati: The Gauhati High court on Tuesday rejected the bail petitions of MLA Dr Rumi Nath and her estranged husband Jaqui Zakir who were arrested in connection with their alleged links with a pan-India car theft racket.
After hearing three bail petitions by the two and also going through the case diary, Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan rejected their plea. Nath, a Congress MLA, was arrested from the MLA Hostel here on April 14 under sections 120(B), 420, 212 of the IPC, which relate to criminal conspiracy, cheating and harbouring offender. Zakir was apprehended on April 8 from his house at Badarpur in Karimganj district.
Two cases were registered against them at separate police stations for various charges under IPC and Arms Act after the arrest of alleged kingpin of the racket Anil Chauhan. During investigations, it was found that Chauhan, who was arrested by Guwahati Police and was wanted in a number of cases in Delhi and Mumbai besides other states, was issued Assam Assembly car passes on the recommendation of Nath.
Following this, the Assembly Secretariat issued a notice asking her to explain why she recommended issuance of car passes to the alleged car lifter, to which Nath responded by saying that she had signed the car pass application form of Chauhan’s wife who is a Congress worker.  The controversial MLA had married Zakir in 2012 by converting to Islam and without divorcing her first husband. The two were subsequently assaulted by a mob at a Karimganj hotel in July 2012.
They parted ways last year and are living separately since then. (PTI)