KOHIMA, November 1 (MExN): The Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, in a judgment/order dated October 17, 2017, has found Rikumkaba guilty in the July 4, 2013, murder case wherein a woman was brutally murdered in Dimapur.
The GHC Kohima Bench also, significantly, quashed and set aside a controversial judgment by the Sessions Judge, Dimapur, that had acquitted all the accused in the said case in February, 2015.
This was informed in a press release from the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) today.
According to the NSLSA, this was contained in a 74-page judgment in response to Criminal Appeal No. 1(K)/2015, and WP. (Crl.).No. 18(K)/2015.
After wide public protest, the sister of the victim had petitioned the NSLSA to “provide legal aid in filing an appeal petition before the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench, to set aside the order dated 22-08-2014, and the final Judgment and Order dated 18-02-2015, in the Dimapur (West) Police Station Case No. 61/2013, passed in G.R. Case No. 339/2013, by the Sessions Judge, Dimapur.”
Accordingly, W.P.Crl. No. 18(K)/2015 under Article 226 of the Constitution of India read with Section 482 of Cr.P.C. 1973, was filed in the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench, “praying for quashing and setting aside the order dated 22-08-2014, passed in G.R. Case No. 339/2013, by the Sessions Judge, Dimapur, acquitting the three accused persons in the case T. Yapang Ao, Samarenba and Santosh Nath, under Section 233 of Cr.P.C. and also praying for quashing and setting aside the final Judgment and Order dated 18-02-2015, passed by the Sessions Jude acquitting the last accused Rikumkaba alias Rikum, and further praying for a direction, for re-investigation by the CBI and to give adequate relief(s) to the family members of the deceased victim.”
After hearing the parties, the Court “quashed and set aside the Judgment and Order dated 18-02-2015, of the Sessions Judge Dimapur, passed in G.R. Case No. 339/2013."
The GHC Kohima Bench also found accused Rikumkaba as “guilty of having committed offence punishable under Sections 447, 380 and 302 of IPC.” The Court further directed the Sessions Judge Dimapur, to “procure the presence of the accused Rikumkaba now a convict and to fix a date for sentence hearing to award appropriate sentence to the convict Rikumkaba as per law.”
Thus, the Court found no reason to direct further investigation.
The GHC Kohima Bench also directed the NSLSA to “take necessary action for making payment of the victim compensation to the family members of the deceased/victim as per law in force in the State at the earliest.”
