Gauhati HC finishes hearing on 2 NIA cases against Akhil

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Monday completed the hearing on two criminal cases filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Sivasagar MLA Ahil Gogoi and reserved its judgment.
The NIA had moved the high court in September 2021, challenging the verdict of the NIA special court, which discharged Gogoi from all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the cases registered at Chandmari police station in Guwahati and Chabua police station in Dibrugarh district for his alleged role in inciting violence in protests against Citizenship Amendment Act in December, 2019. The NIA special court discharged Gogoi after it did not find any adequate materials to frame charges against him.
The bench of Justice Suman Shyam and Justice Malasri Nandi heard the case on Monday.
Gogoi’s counsel Shantanu Borthakur said, “Arguments in the case concluded on Monday and the court has reserved the judgment.”
Gogoi was lodged in jail for 18 months and 20 days from December 12, 2019 after his arrest. He walked out on July 1, 2021 after the NIA special court discharged him from the charges under UA(P) Act.
Gogoi contested the 2021 assembly elections from Sivasagar constituency from jail and won. He is the first one in Assam to win an election from jail.
The NIA court did not find adequate materials to attribute any act of terrorism to Gogoi and frame charges against him under the UA(P) Act, 1967 in both the cases.