SHILLONG: The special court hearing the damage suit filed by the Meghalaya government against 14 pro-ILP groups for organising series of agitations over the demand to implement the permit system has framed the issues.
The court heard the matter last Friday and only two pressure groups — CSWO and AIGU — attended the hearing.
The main issues framed by the court include “whether the case is maintainable in the present form, whether defendants called for bandh, road blockades, agitations disrupting the functioning of offices and all other activities, whether agitation of defendants resulted in loss of properties of the state and citizenry of this state, whether normal functioning of Government and discharging of day to day functions , and maintaining normal life of citizenry has affected besides peace and tranquility, whether the pressure groups called agitations in violation of judicial pronouncements and whether the defendants breached liberty granted by the Constitution of India”.
Now the list of all the witnesses have to be submitted before the court in the next heating and it is learnt that many witnesses will be examined in the next hearing.
The Government filed the damage suit due to the loss of property following several cases of arson during the agitations of the pressure groups.
The government filed the suit in the special court of Rithelda Rymbai, seeking compensation of Rs 31,09,50,158 from the groups for the damages and loss of private property, both individual and community-owned, and government property caused during the ILP agitation.
It also termed bandh, road blockades and office picketing as “unconstitutional and illegal”.
