Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 8
The court hearing on the transfer petition filed by former Deputy Commissioner of Noklak, Reny Wilfred has been deferred to the New Year. The petition was filed by the former DC, who was facing trial in a POCSO case, seeking transfer of the trial from the POCSO Court in Tuensang to another, citing threat to his life and personal liberty and “apprehension that he will never get free and fair trial.”
The charges against him include IPC Sections 354, 376, 511, read with Sections 8 and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act pertaining to a sexual misconduct allegation levelled against him by two minors during his stint as Noklak DC. The allegation, which was registered at the Noklak Police Station in August 2021, was subsequently taken over by the State Crime Police Station.
The latest hearing on the bureaucrat’s petition occurred on December 8 at the Kohima Bench, Gauhati High Court. As per proceedings of the case today, the Public Prosecutor/advocate for the state government sought time for filing “additional affidavit on behalf of the State respondent No.1.” The “respondents” in the case include the state government and the two complainants, whole filed the sexual misconduct case against Wilfred.
The petitioner’s advocate countered by challenging the government advocate to produce call details of two mobile phone numbers, while stating that it “will help in deciding the case.”
In its order today, the court gave the state government three weeks to file the “additional affidavit,” while also directing to produce the call details as demanded by the petitioner’s advocate on or before the next date of hearing— January 19, 2023. The court also cautioned that “no more adjournment will be granted.”
Meanwhile, the advocate for the two complainants impressed upon the court the urgency of the case: “The trial before the trial Court has been kept pending after cognizance was taken, therefore, this case needs to be disposed of at the earliest in the interest of justice.”
