Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: A court in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills sentenced Comming Massar to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for a 2020 child sexual abuse case. The Special Judge (POCSO) in Khliehriat delivered the sentence on August 31, 2026, following an investigation by WPI O Tyngkan. Massar faced charges under Section 376(3) and 506 of the IPC alongside POCSO Act sections 5(l), 5(n), and 6. He must pay a total of Rs 35,000 in fines.
Separately, the Meghalaya High Court upheld a conviction for a 2015 assault on a 12-year-old girl in Shillong. A division bench led by Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere confirmed the three-year prison term but reduced the fine from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1,000. During the trial, the survivor testified that the accused "caught hold of me" and touched her inappropriately at home. The court rejected defense claims of unexplained delays, citing the family’s initial report to the Rangbah Shnong.
In a third ruling on September 16, 2026, the High Court set aside the 10-year conviction of Emanuel Marwein. The bench found the prosecution failed to prove identity beyond reasonable doubt in the 2017 case. While the survivor identified Marwein in court, medical records linked the assault to a different man identified as Phring Monday Marwein. Discrepancies regarding the date of the FIR and the letters submitted as evidence further weakened the case. The court ordered Marwein’s immediate release and the refund of all deposited fines.
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