The Principal District and Sessions Court in Mokokchung, Nagaland, has refused to grant bail to the nine accused individuals who were arrested in connection with the murder of Imkongjeba Kichu from Chungtia village.
The murder took place in the lead-up to the recently held Nagaland assembly elections.
The bail hearing for the nine accused commenced on Wednesday, 7 June, and the court’s decision to deny bail was announced on 8 June. Sources revealed that the bail plea was filed on the grounds that the “90 days period was over and the chargesheet submitted lacked complete investigation.”
However, the prosecution argued that releasing the accused on bail could potentially hamper the ongoing trial. The prosecution further asserted that the investigating agency had conducted a thorough investigation, culminating in the filing of a chargesheet on 26 May, which was promptly forwarded to the court on the same day.
The court on Thursday dismissed the defendants’ contention and rejected the bail application for the nine accused individuals.
The victim, Imkongjeba, aged 34, went missing on 21 February of this year. He and another individual, both residents of Chungtia village, were returning home from a funeral when they were waylaid by a group of ‘masked men’. Imkongjeba’s body was discovered the following day in a forested area near a roadside.
The nine accused who have been arrested in this case are Chubanichet (31), Meyalepden (49), Chepdakmayang (28), Tongpangtsuba (40), Lipoktemsu (28), Imtizachet (27), Supongsunep (35), Temsuakum (32), and Bendangsunep (29).
All the accused hail from Chungtia village.