By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: GNLA chairman Champion R Sangma, who has been booked in a total of nine cases and presently in judicial custody, has decided to contest the upcoming Assembly elections due in 2013.
Revealing this here on Wednesday, a relative of Champion said the GNLA chairman took this decision after a thorough deliberation on election-related laws.
“As per the law, he (Champion) is allowed to contest election,” the relative said.
When contacted, a senior Election department official said there is no bar on people fighting elections from jail if he or she is yet to be convicted.
“The candidates who are facing criminal charges have to clearly state in an affidavit the number of cases pending against them,” the official said.
The official, however, said that people who are locked in jails do not have voting rights.
The GNLA chief is booked in a total nine cases — four in Tura, two in Williamnagar and one in Mendipathar and two in Nongstoin for similar criminal activities including waging war against the nation.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday Champion was produced in the camp court on the jail premises in connection with two cases under the Nongstoin Police station P.S. No 9(2) of 2012 and P.S.no 10(2) of 2012.
His counsel Sujit Dey said that two applications had been filed on Wednesday — one to the jail authority to allow the lawyer to brief his client in connection with the cases and another for his bail. “Both the applications have been filed but not moved,” Dey said.
Meanwhile, Champion’s wife Enrita N Marak is contemplating to file an appeal to the appellate authority against non-supply of information under RTI within the specified time.
Mrs Marak had filed an RTI dated 6/8/2012 to the DGP seeking information pertaining to the date of his appointment letter and termination letter besides, seeking information’s on the date till he served the police force, place of his last posting, last salary drawn and service benefits due to him.
However, the PIO to DGP office in a letter addressed to her has only intimated that the information sought has been forwarded to the SP, East Khasi Hills for clearance.
Champion, a former deputy superintendent of police, who co-founded the Garo tribal militant outfit in 2010, was pushed to India by Bangladesh authorities on July 30 last before he was arrested at the Indo-Bangladesh border.
He will be produce before the court on Thursday with the expiry of his 14-day custody.