Meghalaya High Court adjourns trial over mysterious death of policeman
Shillong (IANS). The Meghalaya High Court has suspended the trial in connection with the mysterious death of a police officer in 2014 after he seized 32 trucks allegedly transporting illegally mined coal.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) finding that sub-inspector Pearlystone Joshua Marbaniang committed suicide in January 2015 was found untenable and unsatisfactory by a bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice W Diengdoh in its verdict on Wednesday.
He said, “It is very difficult for us to understand how a person can be shot in the back of the head. Or a person may commit suicide by shooting himself in the back of the head. So the trial has to be stopped and we need a fresh probe. He said that from what we have understood, it does not seem to be a case of depression.
The bench said, “We have a duty towards everybody, we all have to be fair, a person has died. No ghost came and killed him. We don’t think he killed himself. Please look at this.” Pay attention. Otherwise, people will not believe. It could have been your child or my child, to be fair.”
The High Court has given the opinion of fresh investigation in the case and has stopped the hearing.
“Even though the State submits that the trial is on, it does not appear that the investigation was satisfactory. Accordingly, the trial shall not be continued till further orders,” the court order said.
The SIT report also exposed the magnitude of illegal mining, procurement and transportation of coal, timber and stone across the state, the court said.
The court in its order said, “Incidentally, the SIT report reveals what this Court suspects in cases relating to illegal coal mining. SIT report to allow illegal transportation of illegally mined coal indicates the existence of registers containing fixed rates per truck. In some cases the names and officials have been identified.”
The matter will be heard again on July 27.
The late police officer’s mother requested the court to order the Central Investigation Agency (CBI) to probe the sudden death of her son.
In March 2016, the High Court had earlier rejected this argument.
Last May, the Supreme Court, which had heard the case earlier, sent it back to the high court.
Later the High Court requested a fresh report from the former SIT.
Meghalaya High Court
