SHILLONG: National People’s Party (NPP) leader and State Cabinet Minister Marquise N Marak has strongly hit back at allegations levelled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership against the Meghalaya government regarding an alleged bias towards individuals arrested in connection with the Tura violence.
The reaction comes in response to accusations made by BJP leader and MDC Bernard N Marak, who claimed that the state government is being overly lenient and maintaining close ties with certain Muslim leaders.
The BJP leader further alleged that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has a nexus with these leaders, who were reportedly involved in instigating the unrest in the Garo Hills region.
Clariying the government’s stance, the NPP leader vehemently condemned these allegations, terming them completely baseless and designed solely to instigate and mislead the general public.
He reminded that under the framework of Indian democracy, the Executive and the Judiciary function independently as separate branches. According to the Constitution, the Judiciary does not tolerate interference from the Executive, nor does the Executive dictate judicial outcomes.
Marak further pointed out that even the state government itself has numerous ongoing legal cases pending in various courts which it is actively contesting to this day. Therefore, he urged the accusers to direct their queries toward the Court that granted the bail rather than pointing fingers at the administration, emphasizing that the Chief Minister possesses absolutely no authority to grant bail to any individual.
He stated that it is entirely unacceptable to accuse the Chief Minister of assisting or securing bail for Estamur Mominin, as it was the Court that made the judicial decision to grant bail based on legal merits and established laws, a process in which the state government had no involvement.
On the other hand, Meghalaya BJP Vice President and Tura MDC Bernard N Marak has raised serious apprehensions, questioning whether there is a deep-rooted conspiracy and collusion between the Chief Minister and Mominin.
The BJP leader questioned if Mominin and another individual, Rehman, faced fewer legal charges compared to the Garo leaders, alleging that Mominin had held discussions and consultations with the Chief Minister prior to his arrival in Tura.
