GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has upheld the judgement passed by a single-judge bench of the same court in 2018 that gave a clean chit to former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in the infamous “secret killings” case.
Former journalist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, and another individual Ananta Kalita had filed an application challenging the 2018 judgement. The court, however, said the charges made against the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) stalwart were part of a conspiracy by political parties and others to tarnish his image. Mahanta hailed the judgement.
The secret killings of the family members of ULFA militants took place from 1998 to 2001 during Mahanta’s second term as the CM. In 2005, the then CM Tarun Gogoi’s government had set up the KN Saikia Commission to probe the killings. In its report, the commission had indicted Mahanta after finding evidence of a nexus between the police and surrendered ULFA militants, allegedly used as executioners.