Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court ordered state police to consolidate five criminal cases against Trinamool Congress leader S.G. Esmatur Mominin. Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere issued the directive Monday to merge four FIRs from Phulbari Police Station into one primary case at Araimile Police Station. Mominin, a former Phulbari MLA, faced the legal heat following allegations of hate speech during the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council elections.
These cases share one root. They involve the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act. The legal trouble started March 10, 2026, with the registration of Araimile PS Case No. 19 of 2026. The court order requires all Phulbari records to move to Araimile within three days of the upload.
The specific cases being merged include complaints filed by Leader of Opposition Mukul M. Sangma, John Leslee K. Sangma, and Garo Students’ Union members Karit A. Sangma and Pangsrang A. Sangma. Another case, filed by Greneth M. Sangma, also joins the pile. Officials based these charges on video clips and news reports. The court noted the complaints arose from a single chain of events, including an alleged assault on the politician.
Additional Advocate General N.D. Chullai confirmed the state would handle the transfers. The court disposed of four petitions Mominin filed to address the situation. During the proceedings, the court made its stance clear: "Observing that the complaints arose out of the same set of allegations and constituted a single cause of action, the High Court directed the investigating agency to treat the cases as one." Mominin can still ask the court to toss out the combined proceedings later if he chooses.
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