The Supreme Court has granted independent Assam MLA Akhil Gogoi protection from arrest and asked NIA to file a reply to his plea concerning anti-CAA protests and suspected Maoist links.
On February 21, a bench of justices V Ramasubramanian and Pankaj Mithal issued a notice to National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Gogoi’s plea.
“Let notice be served on the standing counsel for the state (NIA), for the limited purpose of considering the grant of protection to the petitioner from arrest pursuant to the impugned order, returnable on February 24, 2023,” the court said
“In the meantime, the petitioner shall be protected against arrest in connection with FIR dated December 14, 2019, Police Station NIA,” the court said.
Akhil Gogoi has challenged the February 9 order of the Gauhati High Court, which has allowed the probe agency to frame charges against Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi and three others in connection with anti-CAA protests.
The National Investigation Agency in Gauhati High Court has challenged the order of a Special NIA Court, dated 01.07.2021, giving clean chit to the four accused. Hearing the plea, the High Court asked the agency to proceed with framing charges after reopening the case.
