Madan Tamang case: AIGL to challenge Sessions Court's order

Darjeeling: The All India Gorkha League (AIGL) has decided to challenge the order by a Kolkata court that had discharged Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President Bimal Gurung in the Madan Tamang murder case and directed that charges be framed against 47 other accused. A revision petition will be filed in the Calcutta high court soon.

"We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is meted out in the Madan Tamang murder case," stated Pratap Khati, General Secretary, AIGL. The petition could be filed by a member of Late Madan Tamang's family member tentatively by his widow Bharati Tamang.

However, she could not be contacted for comments. Already a case is pending in the Supreme Court challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Gurung and the accused by the Calcutta high court. "We had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court challenging the granting of anticipatory bail to the accused by the Calcutta high court. The hearing of this case will come up soon," added Khati.

City Sessions Court Chief Judge Kundan Kumar Kumai on Thursday had discharged Gurung from the case rejecting the CBI's contention that the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief was involved in the conspiracy to murder the All India Gorkha League leader, one of his political opponents in the Darjeeling hills.

The court, however, directed that charges be framed against all other 47 accused, including Gurung's wife Asha and several other top leaders of GJM. It fixed August 28 for framing of charges against the accused persons.

The counsel for Gurung had claimed that he was in Kalimpong on the day of the death and that the CBI could not provide any proof that he was involved in the conspiracy to kill Tamang. Madan Tamang was attacked while he was overseeing preparations for a public meeting at Upper Clubside in the heart of Darjeeling town on May 21, 2010. He was declared brought dead at the Sadar hospital there.

All the accused had filed discharge petitions before the court, which passed the order after hearing their advocates and that of CBI for several days. The CBI had opposed the discharge petitions and prayed for framing of charges against the accused.

"We are not very happy with the role of the CBI also. We had also brought this to the notice of the Apex Court. The Apex Court is keeping a tab on the Madan Tamang murder case," stated Khati.

Incidentally, on October 13, 2013, the Supreme Court had ordered the transfer of the case from the

Darjeeling Court to the City Sessions Court, Calcutta based on a petition by Tamang's widow Bharati Tamang who had claimed that the GJM leaders are very influential hence they could intimidate the witnesses.