SHILLONG, India, May 1 -- Meghalaya High Court issued the following judgment/order on April 1:

1. Heard Ms. Th. R. Fancon, learned counsel for the petitioner/accused, who has submitted that an FIR was lodged on 03.03.2026 before the Officer-inCharge, Ladrymbai Police Outpost, Ladrymbai by one Shri. Dawanoo Rymbai, the contents of such information being that, on the said date, there was a spot inspection of a disputed land between two villages i.e. Lama Village and Lakadong Ummat Village in East Jaintia Hills District, wherein, the residents of both villages have gathered at the said place of inspection. In the midst of such inspection, it was alleged that the petitioner/accused along with others present were armed with firearms, and ultimately, had opened fire on the gathering, as a result of which, three villagers of Lama Village were seriously injured.

2. Accordingly, on receipt of such information, an FIR was filed and a case was registered being Khliehriat P.S. Case No. 104 of 2026 under Section 109 BNS, 2023.

3. The learned counsel has also submitted that the petitioner/accused was not present at the place of occurrence when the said incident had taken place that is on 03.03.2026, since he was attending to his ailing mother who was admitted in a critical condition at Nazareth Hospital, Shillong since 26.02.2026 and had expired at the said hospital on 12.03.2026.

4. During the period that his mother was at the Nazareth Hospital, the petitioner was lodged at Prakash Hotel, Laitumkhrah, Shillong since 01.03.2026 upto 04.03.2026. Copy of the bill issued by Prakash Hotel for the said period has been annexed in this petition as Annexure - 4. Therefore, he could not have been present at the place of occurrence on the said date, submits the learned counsel.

5. It is also the submission of the learned counsel that, because of the fact that he was said to be involved in the said incident, therefore, the police are on the lookout to arrest him, hence the apprehension of imminent arrest.

6. The learned counsel further submits that the petitioner/accused, being a daily wage labourer and the sole bread earner of the family, if in the event of his arrest, the family will be left with no source of income, apart from the fact that he has no previous criminal antecedent and also that he had appeared before the Investigating Officer during the period he was on interim bail.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=I1mmm2bl4r4EREhYK63Kv379qkrAZwvQ5zJHwo%2Bqvl8N3xRemAj%2FV1Myi6uXrA7k&caseno=AB/2/2026&cCode=1&cino=MLHC010003882026&state_code=21&appFlag=)

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