CAA protests: NIA court frames charges against Akhil, 3 others

Guwahati: An NIA special court here on Tuesday framed charges against Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi and three others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and relevant sections of the IPC for their alleged involvement in the violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Dec 2019 across the state.

In 2021, the special court had discharged all four accused, who were arrested in Dec 2019. However, the NIA challenged the verdict in the Gauhati high court, which overturned the trial court’s judgment in Feb last year. Gogoi then approached the Supreme Court, challenging the HC order.

The apex court granted bail to Gogoi in April last year but upheld the high court’s decision, remanding the matter back to the trial court for a fresh hearing on the question of framing charges against all four accused persons. The accused were booked for various offences related to the anti-CAA protests, their speeches against the act, and alleged links to Maoist organisations.

Gogoi’s advocate, Shantanu Borthakur, stated that the NIA special court framed charges against Gogoi under Section 18 of the UAPA and IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups, and assertions prejudicial to national integration.

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