By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 24: Three cases registered against former GHADC member Sofior Rahman will be clubbed together and transferred to the Araimile Police Station, where the first FIR was registered against him, the High Court of Meghalaya was told on Friday.
Rahman, the petitioner, had sought direction to the respondent authorities (state government and DGP) to disclose/furnish details of all pending cases/FIRs filed against him at various police stations across Meghalaya. He also sought a direction to club all these cases together.
According to the petitioner’s counsel, Rahman had often raised his voice for the participation of the non-tribal communities in the GHADC election through his social media accounts and also through newspapers.
A complainant found a social media post, circulating in Rahman’s name, provocative, inflammatory, and capable of disturbing public peace and communal harmony. Accordingly, the individual lodged a complaint against him at the Araimile Police Station on March 10.
The police registered a case on the same day for the alleged offences punishable under Sections 196(a)(b) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
On March 12, another case was registered with the Songsak Police Station at the behest of the organising secretary of the A’chik State Peoples’ Front. The said complaint was based on the same Facebook post put up by the petitioner.
The Songsak police subsequently registered a case (07/2026) for alleged offences punishable under Sections 196(1), 197(1), 352, 353 (1)(b)(c)(2) of the BNS.
A similar complaint, based on the same Facebook post, was lodged a police officer with the Tura Police Station on March 15. A case (32/2026) was registered under relevant sections of the BNS, read with Section 6A/8B of the MMPO Act and Sections 8A/11 of the MMPO (Autonomous District) Act, on the same day.
K. Paul, the petitioner’s counsel, cited two Supreme Court cases to argue that there cannot be multiple criminal proceedings based on the same cause of action.
The prosecutor, on instructions, stated that to date, three cases have been registered against Rahman based on the same social media post. She said all three cases against him would be clubbed together and transferred to where the first FIR was registered.
The single bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere accepted the statement and disposed of the petition.
