The CJM observed that some office bearers/members of a civil society organisation or students’ organization/body seem to be taking law in their own hand and involved in mediating or passing judgement on matters for which law courts were created for.
TFM News Service
The controversy surrounding Naorem Birahari College deepened as the chief judicial magistrate of Imphal West on Monday remanded five members of the Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) into judicial custody for 15 days till October 11, when they will be produced before the count.
The student activists were arrested for allegedly physically assaulting the principal-in-charge Ningombam Shitaljit at the office of DESAM.
“On hearing and perusal of the facts and materials placed before me, it seems that there exists prima facie materials which suggest that the accused persons (1) Oinam Sital Singh (2) Mayengbam Somorjit Meitei (3) Meisnam Anantaraj Singh (4) Kangabam Amardeep Singh, and (5) Thoithoiba Nongthombam conspired and physically assaulted the victim by calling him to their office. This is further suggested by the fact that the main accused Birjit Singh, Finance Secretary (DESAM) is still at large by evading police arrest”, stated the CJM in an order.
The CJM also observed that some office bearers/members of a civil society organization or students organization/body seems to be taking law in their own hand and involved in mediating or passing judgement on matters for which law courts were created for. These organizations seem to act as the judge and also the executioner. Incidents like this seem to have happened before and the court, considering the perpetrators of the incident as students, showed them leniency, and released them on bail.
“However, these trends of student organizations involving in matters of transfer and posting, which are done by an authority of the Govt. and beyond the control of individual teachers or staff, seems not to break at all. Time and again incidents like this resurfaces and creates a negative precedent in the educational environment and society at large. And, in my humble opinion, this trend needs to be broken”.
In regard to the accused Kangabam Amardeep Singh, who is a COVID-19 patient and being presently kept at Covid-19 Care Centre of JNIMS, the judicial custody of accused Kangabam Amardeep Singh was kept in abeyance until the accused is released by the concerned authority of Covid-19 Care Centre of JNIMS after he tests negative and mandatory quarantine, as laid down by the authority have been completed.
Accordingly, the OC of Singjamei PS has been directed to ensure that the accused Kangabam Amardeep Singh do not escape from the custody by providing adequate security required for the task.
In regard to the other two accused — Ngangom Ekashini Devi and Irom Kunjabati Devi, the CJM observed that materials exist which suggest that they are an interested party in the whole affair which led to the incident. However, no materials exist to suggest that they were involved in the physical assault of the victim. Further, they are all women and also are of old age, ageing over 58, as such, they were released on bail.