The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday stayed the FIR lodged against Manipur Congress MLA K Meghachandra for threatening to suspend policeman at Thoubal Dam Police Station in 2019.
The bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice MM Sundresh said the FIR registered at Thoubal Dam Police Station should remain.
K Meghachandra filed a special leave petition before the apex court in November 2021 for quashing the FIR case which was registered at the Thoubal Dam police station and is also pending before the Special MP/MLA Court at Lamphelpat, Imphal.
The FIR was a complaint by head constable K Gaipuilin of Noney Police Station on April 18, 2019, to the officer-in-charge of Thoubal Dam PS requesting to take action against Meghachandra for assaulting, intimidating, humiliating him for being a member of Scheduled Tribe, and obstructing him in performing his duty while he was posted for polling duty for Lok Sabha election at Nongpok Keithelmanbi.
Meghachandra filed an anticipatory bail before the High Court of Manipur after it was rejected by the Session Judge, Imphal East on April 25, 2019, and also filed a petition for quashing the FIR case. Both the cases were jointly heard on September 29, 2021 by the HC of Manipur. But the HC dismissed the petition for quashing the FIR and allowed the anticipatory bail on November 28, 2021.
Being aggrieved on dismissing the petition, Meghachandra filed the special leave petition before the apex court in November 2021.
In connection with the order of the SC, a press meet was held at Congress Bhavan on Tuesday. During the press meet, MLA Meghachandra expressed gratitude and happiness to the Supreme Court for delivering justice.
Meghachandra said that the FIR was lodged by altering the incident that during the Lok Sabha election of 2019, he heard information of unfair means and rigging in the election. So he visited the spot and complaint to the head constable for allowing unfair means and rigging in the election at Nongpok Keithelmanbi Polling Station. And after the FIR was lodged, he took anticipatory bail and approached the higher judiciary for justice. Fortunately, the SC gave him justice, he said.
“Now I believe justice is there from the SC order”, said Meghachandra. For over two years, I was being harassed by the home department, he added.
Meghachandra said that even those in the legislature have to be approached to get justice and questioned the condition of innocent people who have been framed under the criminal act for giving opinions on social media. The government is not leaving journalists who are neutral and have the right to point out facts and express them. The government is violating the right to freedom and the right to life with dignity. Is it a democratic state, asked Meghachandra.
Rather than attacking innocent people and torturing them under different acts, the state government should use police personnel for proper prosecution and investigation, said Meghachandra.
He said the judiciary should not be in the government's hand and it should not be defined on individual intention. The government is playing the judiciary system for delaying and betraying any issue, he alleged. It has been seen in the disqualification cases which has taken 3 years for justice delivery, he said.
Meghachandra stated that in remote areas of Andro constituency, the rights of voters have been violated and that they have been voting under pressure. The Chief Minister had also spoken for a free and fair election without taking support from UGs but there are no free and fair elections in the hill districts and it has been seen at Kangpokpi by-election, Meghachandra alleged. He further stated that when one raises their voice for a free and fair election, FIRs are lodged and cases filed against them.
