New Delhi [India], April 20 : The Central government has appointed four advocates as special public prosecutors for conducting matters on behalf of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and its specific cases linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and prominent peasants' rights leader Akhil Gogoi before National Investigation Agency Special Courts and High Courts in Guwahati, Kerala, Rajasthan and Chennai.
Makhan Phukan, Ajith Kumar S, Sneh Deep Khyaliya and N Baaskaran have been appointed to handle these cases in the four states of Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam said a notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
These advocates have been appointed for a period of "three years with effect from the date of publication of the notification or until further orders, whichever is earlier".
Makhan will be conducting the matters on behalf of the NIA before the High Court of Guwahati while Ajith and Sneh will conduct NIA cases on its behalf in NIA Special courts and High Courts of Kerala and Rajasthan.
N Baaskaran will conduct NIA cases on its behalf in the NIA Special Court in Chennai and the High Court of Madras.
The Centre took the step exercising the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 15 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (34 of 2008), read with Sub-Section (8) of Section 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).
As per the notification, Makhan will be handling RC-13/2019/NIA/GUW and RC-01/2020/NIA/GUW cases of the NIA. The agency filed these cases against Akhil Gogoi, president of the farmers' body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS).
The prominent peasants' rights leader is in jail. He has been booked by the NIA on charges of various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with his alleged role in terrorist activities and in the violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests. Gogoi was arrested from Assam's Jorhat in December 2019 as a "preventive measure" in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. He is behind the bars since then in connection with these NIA cases.
Ajith will be handling RC-02/2022/NIA/KOC pertaining to the activities of PFI, its office bearers, members and affiliates in Kerala, for conspiring to indulge in unlawful activities, by creating enmity between members of different religions and groups prejudicial to the maintenance of the peace and communal harmony and encouraging vulnerable youth to join terrorist orgsations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daesh and Al-Qaida and the people conspiracy to establish Islamic rule in India by committing a terrorist act as a part of violent jihad. The case was suo-motu registered by the NIA on November 19, 2022.
Sneh will handle the RC-41/2022/NIA/DLI case which was registered in September 2022 to probe the criminal conspiracy, which had been hatched by PFI leaders and its cadres with the aim of driving a wedge between different communities in India through radicalisation and arms-training of gullible Muslim youth, training them in the handling of weapons and explosives and raising funds for carrying out acts of terror and violence with the ultimate objective of establishing Islamic Rule in India by 2047.
However, Baaskaran will deal RC-42/2022/NIA/DLI case which was registered by the NIA on September 19, 2022, linked to the Tamil Nadu PFI case as the banned outfit cadres and members were indulged in creating enmity among different groups on grounds of religion and carrying out activities prejudicial to communal harmony with the intention to disrupt public peace and tranquillity and cause disaffection against India. The cadres so trained were to be used to attack targets chosen by leaders of PFI at the district and state level.
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