Assam's jailed MLA Akhil Gogoi acquitted of all charges

After oneanda half years jailed MLA and a local party president Akhil Gogoi is likely to be freed as the Guwahatibased special NIA court on Thursday acquitted him in the second of the two cases filed against him in connection with the antiCitizenship Amendment Act stir in Assam in December 2019Gogois lawyers told the media that he is expected to be freed from the Guwahati Central jail soonGogoi and his three associates were accused in two cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967The Independent lawmaker and his associates were last week cleared of all charges in the first case The 46yearold jailed farmers leader and Raijor Dal President Akhil Gogoi was elected from eastern Assams Sibsagar seat in the MarchApril assembly polls and currently lodged in Guwahati central jail He is currently under treatment at Gauhati Medical College and HospitalThe right activist has been in jail since December 2019 for allegedly fomenting violence during the antiCAA agitationsThe National Investigation Agency had taken up the cases against him and his associates on the basis of two FIRs registered at the Chandmari police station in Guwahati and Chabua police stations in eastern Assams Dibrugarh districtThe NIA special court released him today Thursday in the Chandmari case Last week the court discharged him in the Chabua case Gogois lawyer Rahul Sensowa told the mediaSensowa who is one of the members of Gogois lawyers team said three others arrested along with Gogoi Dharjya Kowar Manas Konwar and Bitu Sonowal were also discharged on Thursday All the three activists are however already out on bailGogoi and his associates are charged with criminal conspiracy sedition promoting enmity between groups on grounds such as religion race and language assertions against national integrity and support to a terrorist organization including Maoist linkWelcoming the NIA courts ruling Raijor Dals working president Bhasco de Saikia said the courts verdict has exposed the BJP governments attempts to target the party president without any basisThe NIA court had last week granted two days parole to Gogoi to meet members of his family in Guwahati and eastern Assams Jorhat His 84yearold mother Priyoda Gogoi is also ailingAkhil Gogoi is the first lawmaker in Assam to win an election from jail after his octogenarian mother son Nasiketa and prominent rights leaders of the country campaigned for himRights activist Medha Patkar Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey several students of Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University and intellectuals from different parts of the country and Assam had come to Sibsagar to campaign for Gogoi in the MarchApril elections to the 126member Assam assemblyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever