IAS officer Reny Wilfred files petition against sexual assault allegations

• Dimapur — IAS officer Reny Wilfred has filed a petition before the Gauhati High Court’s Kohima Bench seeking to quash the first information report (FIR) registered against him on allegations of sexual assault.
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• The FIR, dated April 2, was filed after a formal complaint was submitted by the Nagaland State Women’s Commission (NSCW), which had documented the verbal accounts of several women who came forward in February with allegations of sexual misconduct.
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• Wilfred was relieved of his charge as the Joint Secretary of Planning and Transformation and Industrial Development Authority of Nagaland through a notification on April 4, following the registration of the FIR.
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• The case was taken up for hearing on April 16, during which the high court observed that the NSCW should be included as a necessary party in the proceedings. In response, Wilfred filed a separate interlocutory application, seeking the impleadment of the Commission and its members as respondents in the case.

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• In an order issued on Tuesday, Justice Yarenjungla Longkumer granted the application and allowed the petitioner to amend the case title accordingly. The court directed the petitioner to serve notice to the newly added respondent — the Nagaland State Women’s Commission — within three working days.
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• This is not the first time Wilfred has faced serious allegations. In 2021, while serving as Deputy Commissioner of Noklak, he was accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls from the Khiamniungan Naga community. The investigation found the allegations to be true, and the police filed a charge sheet under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

• Following this, Wilfred approached the Gauhati high court to get the Pocso trial transferred from Tuensang district to any other special court, citing a threat to his life. However, the high court rejected the petition in April 2023, leading the IAS official to approach the Supreme Court. The apex court, however, allowed the official to request to appear in the trial court proceedings over video conference.