Two days after the Supreme Court ordered the release of Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) chairman Champion R Sangma walked out of the jail on Friday afternoon.
Officials of the Shillong District Jail told Northeast Now that the self-styled chief of the banned Garo rebel outfit was allowed to leave the jail premises after completing all the legal formalities.
Sangma’s counsel Sujit Dey was there at the jail premises in downtown Shillong to ensure smooth release of the dreaded rebel leader.
“He (Champion) is free now. He is out of the jail,”Dey told Northeast Now. The release was at around 3.30 pm, he said. However, the lawyer refused to divulge any details about the whereabouts of the GNLA chief.
Jail officials said, the GNLA chairman was seen boarding a vehicle with the lawyer after the release.
A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan of the top court ordered the release of of the GNLA boss.
While passing an order on a writ petition filed by Sangma against the state, the bench set aside the order passed by the additional district magistrate (judicial) allowing an application made by the prosecution against Sangma’s release.
Sangma was arrested in 2012 and various cases were filed against him.
Sangma is accused in at least nine criminal cases. In 2011, a first information report was filed against him but Sangma was not arrested because he was on the run, according to the prosecution.
Sangma was declared an absconder and a chargesheet was filed in 2012.
Sangma has been in custody since July 30, 2012. He moved the Supreme Court alleging that the police had implicated him in different cases.