Jharkhand legislator Mamta Devi held guilty in 2016 firing case, taken into custody
RANCHI: Another Jharkhand MLA is likely to be disqualified after being convicted by a special MP-MLA Court in Hazaribagh on Thursday. Congress MLA Mamta Devi along with 12 others was taken into custody on Thursday after being convicted in a case related to Inland Power Limited firing case at Gola in Ramgarh which took place in 2016.
Arguments on the point of the quantum of punishment will take place on December 12.
Incidentally, Mandar legislator Bandhu Tirkey had also been disqualified as a member of the Jharkhand legislative assembly after being sentenced by a special CBI court in Ranchi on March 28 for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his first stint as MLA between 2005 and 2009. Tirkey had served as the Education Minister in the then Madhu Koda government.
Legal experts opined that in the sections under which Mamta Devi has been held guilty by the special MP-MLA Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge-4 Pawan Kumar, there are very rare chances that she will be sentenced for less than 2 years of imprisonment, and hence, is set to lose her Assembly membership.
Advocate from the prosecution side, Aatmaram Chaudhary, informed that the MLA along with the other 12 accused persons were taken into custody immediately after conviction.
"The special MP-MLA Court held all the 13 persons, including Ramgarh MLA Mamta Devi, guilty under sections 147, 148, 149, 341 along with various other sections of IPC, including sections 307 and 27 of Arms Act,” said the advocate. A charge sheet against a total of 13 accused persons was filed by the police, following which, the trial was being conducted in the Court, he added.
Public Prosecutor Shankar Banerjee said that he will seek maximum punishment for Mamta Devi while arguing over the point of quantum of punishment on Monday.
The villagers were staging a dharna, led by Mamta Devi in August 2016, demanding the closure of Inland Power Limited in Gola during which the crowd got violent, following which, the police had to open fire to protect themselves resulting in the killing of four persons while several others were left injured, including the Circle Officer, Block Development Officer, officer-in-charge of Rajrappa Police Station and several other policemen.
An FIR (29/2016) was lodged against Mamta Devi, local firebrand leader Rajeev Jaiswal and several others at Rajrappa Police Station following a complaint lodged by then Block Development Officer Dinesh Prasad Suri.
Other accused persons who were convicted along with Mamta Devi are – Manoj Kujhar, Raju Sao, Dildar Hussain, Adil Inami, Abhishek Soni, Rajeev Jaiswal and Baleshwar Bhagat.