Kohima: A lower court in Peren district of Nagaland today dismissed two complaints against Chief Minister T R Zeliang’s educational qualification saying these were time barred.
The judicial magistrate heard the arguments yesterday and delivered the order today observing the “instant case is in the shape of a political vendetta”.
The Supreme Court had on June 15 last directed the lower court to first determine the question of time limitation about the two cases filed in November 2015 and this month.
The magistrate court dismissed the twin complaints on the ground of being time-barred and said these should have been filed by February, 2014.
Maziezokho Nisa of Jotsoma village had filed the first complaint against an alleged offence punishable under Section 125 A of the Representation of People Act, 1951, purported to have been committed by Zeliang while filling educational details in his affidavit for 2013 state elections.
A similar case was filed against Zeliang by K K Kulimbe alias Kengim of Jalukie town this month.
As the facts were identical, both the cases were taken up together and disposed of by the common order issued today.
The magistrate observed that “the punishment for infringement of the offence under Section 125-A of the Representation of People Act is imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both. As such, by virtue of clause (b) of the sub section (2) of section 468 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the period of limitation for institution of the two instant complaint cases is one year.”
Accordingly, the court ruled that both the complaint cases are time-barred and also finding no satisfactory ground to condone the delay in filing the complaints, dismissed them.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com)
