Darj Court recalls 'proclaimed offender' ruling on Gurung, Giri.

SNS, 29 July 2019, Darjeeling: As Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista today raised in parliament the issue of a 'Permanent Political Solution' for Darjeeling Hills and its adjoining areas, the BJP's alliance partner Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha and its fugitive leaders, Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri, heaved a sigh of relief after the Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Darjeeling District Court today recalled an order it had issued on 24 June, declaring both Mr Gurung and Mr Giri as' proclaimed offenders.'

The Darjeeling Police had widely circulated the ruling and pasted notices at public places in this regard in the Hills.

The CJM Court today held that the Investigating Officer of the court never intimated the court regarding the proceedings in the Supreme Court and the subsequent filing of the petitions for anticipatory bail in the High Court, a senior legal expert said.

"Hence the accused can not be said to be avoiding this court," he quoted the court as ruling.

Meanwhile, the writ petition filed by the "rebel councillors" of the recently-dissolved Darjeeling Municipality Board, challenging such a dissolution in the Circuit Bench of Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri is slated to be heard in the next Circuit, sources said.

"The court in Darjeeling had through an order declared Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri as proclaimed offenders as they are wanted in several cases. A proclaimed offender means that they can be arrested from any place in India without warrant. We are putting up copies of this for public awareness in Chowk Bazar, Giri's house, court and other places in the town," a police officer had earlier said as they pasted the court notice at public places in Darjeeling town.

The order from the CJM issued on 24 June on different cases against Mr Gurung related to the 2017 Gorkhaland agitation had maintained that the 'Warrant Proclamation Attachment had been issued on 22 March this year, with no execution report till date. "hence the prayer of the Investigation Officer (IO) is allowed and let the cases stand filed for the present against the accused."