EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION ISSUE
Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, APRIL 25
The Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench Monday passed its judgment on the matter pertaining to the educational qualification of Chief Minister TR Zeliang.
The court discussed at length all the three cases raised against TR Zeliang. However, in all the cases, the summon notice issued to the petitioner (TR Zeliang) has been quashed. The judgment and order was given by the Justice LS Jamir after a patient hearing from the legal counsels of all the parties.
The matter, in regard to Zeliang’s educational qualification, first came to light when an FIR was filed against him on September 3, 2015 at North Police Station, Kohima, on the ground that he had filed false sworn affidavit during the 2013 Assembly elections.
The petitioners were the District Congress Committee, Peren as the first party, Maziezokho Nisa and Rokovisie Rino as the second party and K.K. Kulimbe alias Kengim as the third party.
According to the court’s judgment, Criminal Complaint Case No. 5 of 2015/Criminal Revision Petition No. 9 (K), 2015, filed against TR Zeliang by the DCC Peren in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Kohima, has been quashed and set aside, while Criminal Complaint Case No. 6 of 2015/Criminal Revision Petition No. 8 (K0, 2015, filed by Maziezokho Nisa and Rokovisie Rino in the court of JMFC, Kohima, has been remitted to the court of JMFC Peren, with the direction to proceed with the case as per the provisions of law laid down under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Pertaining to the Criminal Complaint Case No. 1 of 2016/Criminal Revision Petition No. 1 (K), 2016, which is in the court of JMFC Peren, an order of the JMFC Peren, has been interfered with – A direction as issued to the JMFC Peren to proceed with the case as per the procedures laid down under the CrPC.
In all the cases referred to the JMFC Peren, the Gauhati High Court has passed its order, that the issues of limitation and other preliminary issues should be decided first by issuing notice to the petitioner.
It may be noted that the allegation against TR Zeliang appears to pertain to the fact that while the affidavit filed by him discloses that he graduated in 1980 from Kohima College under North Eastern Hill University, the records disclosed by the college does not seem to justify such claim. In the ‘Who is Who of 2013’, TR Zeliang had also been described as a graduate from Kohima College in the year 1979.