Govt: Gurung fled India

TT, 27 August 2019,  Jalpaiguri: Advocate general Kishore Dutta told Calcutta High Court's circuit bench here on Monday that Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung had escaped to another country.

Dutta was arguing before a division bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Manojit Mandal during the hearing of an anticipatory bail petition filed by Gurung.

When the bench wanted to know Gurung's whereabouts, Dutta said the petition couldn't be heard about a person who is not in India.

The advocate general also said several intelligence agencies had submitted reports mentioning that Gurung was not in the country and provided some documents to the court.

Advocate Saswata Gopal Mukherjee, who also represented the Bengal government, pointed out that although another Morcha leader Roshan Giri had filed an anticipatory bail plea, Gurung had never submitted such petition directly.

The government lawyers said a red corner notice had been issued against Gurung, which means, he would be arrested in case he was spotted at any airport.

Y.K. Dastur, the lawyer who represented Gurung, informed the court that his client was in Delhi.

After the hearing, the bench asked the state to submit an affidavit on the issue in two weeks. Once the affidavit is submitted, the lawyers of Gurung would have to submit an affidavit in another two weeks, the division bench said.

The next hearing, sources said, will be on September 30..