AIZAWL, April 29: The chief
judicial magistrate (CJM) of
Serchhip district in Mizoram
on Friday deferred Chief Minister
Lal Thanhawla’s case on
alleged false affidavit by a
month as both the defendant
and his senior counsel failed to
appear before the court.
Allowing Lal Thanhawla’s
junior lawyer’s prayer for adjournment
of the court, the
CJM Lalngaihmawia Zote fixed
the next hearing on May 25.
The five-time Chief Minister
was summoned by the district
court following a criminal
complaint filed by deputy controller
of mines, Lalhriatrenga Chhangte, on January 27.
The criminal complaint accused
the Chief Minister of
concealing information about
his extended property in Kolkata
in his affidavit while filing
his nomination in the last Mizoram
Assembly polls.
The complainant was
present in the court on Friday
along with his counsels. Lal
Thanhawla’s senior lawyer
Remsanga Nghaka also failed to
show up for the hearing on Friday
‘citing personal problems’.
Lal Thanhawla’s second
counsel Laithanpuia requested
the CJM to defer the hearing
again. The Chief Minister is
expected to appear before the
court on May 25 with supporting
documents.
Chhangte, in his criminal complaint
alleged that the Chief Minister
possesses ownership of a
piece of land at New Town in the
outskirts of Kolkata, where the
construction of a multi-storied
building is underway and that the
Mizo CM failed to declare this
asset in the last election.
He further accused the Chief
Minister of failing to disclose
full information about the extent
of his property while filing
for candidature in Serchhip
constituency; adding further
that the State Congress
president also fabricated false
information regarding his age.
Several variations of his age
have been given, such as 57
years in 2003, 68 years in 2008
and 71 years in the 2013 Assembly
elections.
Chhangte had also filed a
criminal complaint with Election
Commission of India (ECI)
against the Chief Minister in
November last year to look into
the alleged false affidavit case,
as it stands to contradict Section
125-A of the Representation
of the Peoples Act, 1951.
However, when ECI let the
complainant know that the tenure
for filing the official complaint
was over, Chhangte sued Lal
Thanhawla in Serchhip District
Court for withholding information.
This was the second time
that the court deferred the case,
with the first being on March 28.-Assam Tribune
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