KMSS Chief Akhil Gogoi granted bail by Gauhati High Court in 3 cases

Guwahati: Akhil Gogoi, prominent peasant leader from Assam who is now suffering from a COVID-19 infection, has been granted bail by the Gauhati High Court in 3 cases that were registered at the Chabua Police Station in Dibrugarh.

The cases in Chabua police station lodged against Akhil Gogoi in which he has been granted bail, are 293/2019, 296/2019 and 307/2019.

However, the peasant leader is yet to get bail in two other cases -- NIA case No 13/19 and case No 1/20 lodged in Chabua police station – he will be able to leave the jail after a long period of incarceration that began in December last.

"These were all cases accusing Gogoi of treachery towards his country and provocation. The NIA case lodged in Chandmari is one case that is pending. If Akhil Gogoi gets bail, he can return home after getting discharged from the hospital", Manoj Deori, an advocate representing Akhil Gogoi, informed The Sentinel Digital.

This comes days after the fiery Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader tested positive for COVID-19. Gogoi's result came positive after his supporters began a series of protests across Assam amid reports of his ailing health.

Meanwhile, Dr. Abhijit Sarma, the superintendent of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) said the condition of Gogoi is currently "stable" and that he is "asymptomatic" as of yet.

Gogoi, who was picked up in Jorhat on December 12 and slapped with charges by the NIA under the UAPA act that accused him of "waging a war against the nation", has been unwell for long. Earlier in the year, he was diagnosed with kidney stones and stomach ulcers.

Although the NIA failed to file a charge sheet against the RTI activist, he was booked under several charges and kept in prison nevertheless. His supporters have called these charges "phony" and claimed that his imprisonment is "illegal" and "unlawful". Gogoi, on his part, has alleged mistreatment from the police personnel. There have been several instances when human rights activists have sought intervention from the Centre during Gogoi's 8-month-long imprisonment.

Earlier, Gogoi's fellow KMSS leaders Bitu Sonowal and Manash Konwar have also been granted bail in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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