Meghalaya HC orders clubbing of FIRs against Ex-MDC over Garo Hills violence

The Meghalaya High Court has directed the state authorities to consolidate multiple FIRs registered against former Member of the District Council Sofior Rahman in connection with violence in the Garo Hills region, holding that the cases arise from a common cause of action.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere passed the order while disposing of a petition filed by Rahman seeking the clubbing of three FIRs lodged at different police stations over a Facebook post allegedly linked to unrest during tensions surrounding the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections.

“The directions shall be complied with forthwith. The petition is accordingly disposed of,” the court stated in its order.

Rahman had approached the court contending that the FIRs, registered at Araimile, Songsak and Tura police stations in March, stemmed from the same social media post and therefore could not be investigated separately. His counsel argued that multiple FIRs based on the same set of facts are not legally sustainable, citing precedents of the Supreme Court.

The cases were registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and other applicable laws. The High Court observed that the allegations in all three FIRs were intrinsically linked to the same incident and directed that they be consolidated for the purpose of investigation.

In its order, the court directed that the FIRs registered at Tura and Songsak, which were later transferred to the Crime Branch Police Station (Western Range), Tura, be shifted to Araimile Police Station, where the first FIR was filed. The court further directed that the investigation be carried out by a single police station in accordance with law.

The High Court also noted that the content of the social media post was alleged to be provocative and capable of disturbing public order among different communities, adding that the investigation would continue in line with established legal procedures.

The case is linked to violence that erupted in the Garo Hills region following tensions over a government notification seeking to bar non-tribals from contesting the GHADC elections, marking a departure from a long-standing practice. The High Court subsequently set aside the notification, while the state government postponed the elections, originally scheduled for April 10, in view of the unrest that resulted in two fatalities.