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NIA court grants bail to Assam peasant leader Akhil Gogoi in anti-CAA protest case
Despite the bail, Akhil Gogoi will remain in jail in connection with another NIA case .
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court here on Thursday granted bail to peasant leader Akhil Gogoi in connection with a case related to inciting violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) agitation in Assam last year.
NIA special judge Pranjal Das granted bail to Gogoi in connection to a case lodged initially in Chabua police station in Dibrugarh district on a surety of ₹30,000 and other conditions like non-tampering of evidence and avoiding influencing witnesses.
But the leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), who was arrested in December last year on charges of violence during the anti-CAA stir, will remain in jail as he is yet to get bail in another NIA case lodged in Chandmari in Guwahati.
Both cases had later been transferred to the NIA. Gogoi had earlier been granted bail by Gauhati High Court in July in connection with three separate cases slapped against him by Assam Police for allegedly inciting violence during the anti-CAA stir.
“The court granted bail to Gogoi in connection with the NIA case filed in Chabua. He was denied bail in connection with the case in Chandmari in August this year. The bail application in that case will come for hearing on October 13,” Santanu Barthakur, counsel for Gogoi, said.
Gogoi was arrested at Jorhat on December 12 last year for his role in the protests against CAA, which seeks to fast forward citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Buddhists and Jains from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three of his associates were arrested a day later.
He was later handed over to NIA and a court in Guwahati sent him to 10 days custody of the agency on December 17. He was taken to New Delhi the same day for questioning.
Gogoi was brought back to Guwahati on December 25 and has been in judicial custody ever since.
The NIA has lodged the cases under several sections of IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPAA) pertaining to criminal conspiracy, sedition, promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc., assertions against national integrity, support to terrorist organization etc.
The three associates of Gogoi, who were also arrested in December last year, are already out on bail.
