- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Related: IAS officer denies sexual assault charges, levels allegations against officials
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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.
- 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.
