Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 26
45 Naga youth, including ten women, who had been incarcerated at Nabha district jail, Punjab for the last four months were granted interim bail on September 26 by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana.
The youths had been employed at two fake call centers in Mohali. On May 14 night, the operation had been busted during a major raid operation launched by the Cyber Crime Division of Punjab police. Along with the individuals from Nagaland, a total of 155 other workers were arrested.
The accused persons were held under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.
According to an official DIPR report, the youths had been imprisoned for the last four months, with both the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and the District Judge rejecting their bail pleas. With their prolonged detention, Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio had reportedly intervened, taking into account the hardship faced by the Naga youth. Rio instructed Advocate General (AG) of the state, KN Balgopal to take swift legal action to secure their release.
The report stated that the case was presented before the High Court, presided over by Justice Rajesh Bharadwaj, and heard over three separate hearings. Representing the Naga youth, the legal team led by AG Balgopal, along with advocates Paramjeet Singh Brar and Nitya Nambiar, successfully argued for their interim bail. Judgement was passed by the Court on September 26 granting interim bail to the 45 Naga youth.
Speaking with sources within the Naga Student body that state in light of this development, they mentioned that the youths were expected to be released in the coming few days, once the official legal formalities were completed. A bail amount of about Rs 30,000 was expected to be paid for each individual, it was revealed. They would then be sent back home through transportation arranged by the Nagaland government.
An update posted by CM Rio on X (formerly Twitter) meanwhile congratulated AG Balgopal and his team for their efforts in ensuring the release of the arrested youths.
