Degree fiasco: Nobody above the law, NPCC taunts Zeliang

‘CM’s old university / college already furnished all-subjects failed record’

DIMAPUR, JUNE 18: The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has rubbed in some salt following the Supreme Court of India rejecting the petition of the chief minister of Nagaland concerning his educational qualification. The NPCC, apparently looking at Chief minister TR Zeliang, stated on Saturday that nobody was above the law, even the chief minister himself “who was hiding this order and pretending to be invincible.”
The NPCC issued a statement through its Working President P Ayang Aonok stating that Zeliang now owes an apology to the people instead of attacking the complainants and making aspersions on their counsel besides belittling the Peren community.
“Mr. Zeliang who was hiding this order and pretending to be invincible should at least now realise the famous words of Thomas Fowler, ‘that no one is above the law’, and rather, he owes an apology to the people instead of attacking the complainant and making aspersions on their counsel and also belittling the people of Peren,” the Congress stated.
“The supporters of TR Zeliang have no right to attack the Congress party for voicing out on the issue of dishonesty. It is now time for the leadership of the NPF to see the writings on the wall instead of the Ostrich hiding its head in the sand and can now expect major political upheavals in the state.”
The Congress also referred to Senior Advocate KN Balgopal pointing out to the court that the chief minister’s old university and college authorities had already furnished documents to show that Zeliang had failed in all the subjects in the year 1979 and didn’t appear in 1980.
The Congress went over the legal events surround the controversy: The Supreme Court declined relief in appeal against the order passed by the Kohima High Court directing the magistrate to hear the case on the point of Limitation in the educational qualification case of Chief Minister TR Zeliang.
Though an order dated April 25, 2016, the High Court had refused to close the case against Zeliang and which had been referred back to the Judicial Magistrate of Peren by the High Court, to be heard on the point of Limitation.
The court had conceded Locus Standi and Jurisdiction to the complainants in this case leaving only the issue of Limitation open to be heard before the Magistrate, before proceeding with the case.
On 14th June 2016, the counsel for the complainant, Senior Advocate KN Balgopal had pointed out to the court that “In the 2018 assembly elections, whether TR Zeliang will dare to write in his affidavit before the Election Commission in the column pertaining to educational qualifications that he has passed BA exam in 1979 in the light of the fact that the university and college authority have already furnished documents to show that Mr. Zeliang failed in all the subjects in the year 1979 and didn’t appear in 1980.”
“Already the learned judicial magistrate (of) Peren has cautioned counsel for Mr. Zeliang that, ‘no further adjournment will be given and the case will be heard on 28th June 2016,’ the Congress stated.
“It is with this background that Mr. Zeliang approached the Supreme Court which refused to interfere with the High Court’s order and thereby giving a huge setback for the chief minister. His days appear to be numbered as the chief minister as in the event the magistrate convicts him, then in accordance with law, his nomination papers will be deemed rejected from the date of filing of the same.”
Stating further that the Naga People’s Front’s leaders had made a statement in the media asserting that the former Advocate General had “stooped so low to come to Peren,” the NPCC said they overlooked the fact that Peren district was an important constituent of Nagaland which the incumbent chief minister represented.
“…such comments are an insult to the people of Peren therefore owing an apology to the people of Peren. Further the allegation that the ‘former Advocate General Mr. K.N. Balgopal and his team are stooping to appear before a junior magistrate is an attack on the court as all courts are temples of justice’, it should be instead viewed as a privilege,” the NPCC added.