Kohima: The Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench officially reserved its judgment on a petition challenging a supplementary charge sheet related to the alleged misuse of National Rural Health Mission funds in Nagaland. Justice Pranjal Das confirmed the conclusion of arguments on November 13, 2025. He also extended the interim stay on proceedings against the petitioner, an order initially put in place on June 24, 2025.
This legal battle fights a supplementary charge sheet filed on April 4, 2025. It stems from an original FIR lodged on July 30, 2014, citing Sections 406, 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code. The roots of this case go back to a 2013 public interest litigation demanding a CBI inquiry into embezzlement and kickbacks. The petitioner took the matter to the Supreme Court in 2015 after a local High Court ruling failed to satisfy their demands for a deeper probe.
Allegations center on the NRHM Engineering Division. They allegedly issued bulk cash advances for fake projects and bought luxury vehicles with money meant for maternal and child healthcare. Senior officials allegedly took kickbacks. On December 6, 2022, the Supreme Court ordered a three-member SIT to review the Comptroller and Auditor General report. The court requested a report "preferably within six months."
The Supreme Court later tweaked the SIT team in April 2023, demanding a restart of the investigation. After a lengthy process, the SIT finally delivered its supplementary findings in April 2025. The petitioner immediately moved to contest these findings. Now, the Kohima Bench holds the final decision on the fate of the case.
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