Madan Tamang case: Out on bail, 5 accused told to surrender

IE, Kolkata, 8 August 2013: The Calcutta High Court Thursday cancelled the bail of five accused in the murder of All India Gorkha League president Madan Tamang and directed them to surrender before the sessions court in Darjeeling within a fortnight. 

A division bench comprising Justice Nishita Matre and Justice Kanchan Chakraborty also ruled the sessions court would have to hear their bail petition afresh and pass the necessary order . The verdict came while the court was hearing a plea moved by Tamang's widow for cancellation of bail of the five accused — Dinesh Gurung, Alok Kanta Mani Thulung, Puran Thami, Kismet Chettri and Keshav Raj Pokhrel. 

Her plea was supported by the CBI. Advocate Himangsu De, the CBI counsel said the sessions court had granted bail to the accused without hearing the investigating agency's arguments as no CBI counsel was present during the hearing. 

Earlier, in February this year, the CBI arrested the five accused from Darjeeling in connection with the killing of Tamang. 

The Gorkha leader was killed on May 21, 2010. Of the 31 chargesheeted, 19 are absconding and nine were arrested while the main accused Nicole Tamang had fled from CID custody. Of the nine, four were granted bail by the high court earlier. 

The remaining five accused received bail from the Darjeeling court without mentioning that the CBI was then handling the case and had not made them party in the application, the petitioner claimed in high court.

KalimNews: The five were arrested on 15 February 2013 and their plea for bail was granted on 18 May. Bharati Tamang had made an appeal to the High Court that the case was heard in the absence and the consent of the CBI