J'khand: NIA court grants permission to jailed Kundan Pahan to fight elections

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court granted permission to jailed Naxalite Kundan Pahan to fight the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, said his lawyer Ishwar Dayal on Monday.

"We had sought permission from special NIA Court to file nomination papers and contest the election. NIA court has granted him permission to file nomination papers on November 15," Dayal told reporters here.

Pahan is now scheduled to file his nomination for the Tamar Assembly seat in the Ranchi district on November 15.

The Naxal leader is accused in a total of 128 serious criminal and Naxal incidents including the murder of a former Jharkhand minister, Ramesh Singh Munda.

He is also an accused in the killing of special branch inspector Francis Indwar in 2008 and loot of Rs five crore from a cash van of ICICI bank.

He was also allegedly involved in Baliba ambush in Saranda and the killing of DSP Pramod Kumar in 2008 at Pundigiri near Bundu in Ranchi district.

Assembly elections are due to be held in Jharkhand from November 30 to December 20 to elect the 81 members of the Legislative Assembly. The results will be declared on 23rd December 2019.