Meghalaya minister granted bail

Meghalaya minister Deborah C Marak was today granted bail by a trial court in a case in which she was charged with taking the help an outlawed group to intimidate voters during last year's Assembly elections.
The court of chief judicial magistrate F S Sangma in East Garo Hills district granted the bail and asked the defence counsel to pay a surety of Rs one lakh.
The Social Welfare Minister's aide Tennydard Marak, who was named in the charge sheet along with the minister in the case, also got bail but has been asked not to leave the court's jurisdiction.

"After gathering enough evidence to prove that the accused had used underground elements to intimidate voters of Independent candidate Jonathon Sangma ahead of the 2013 Assembly elections, we chargesheeted Marak under Sections 102(B), 171(F) and 506 of the IPC in the trial court," East Garo Hills District SP Davis N R Marak had said.
The charge sheet was based on a complaint by the Independent candidate from Williamangar, who had unsuccessfully contested the poll, accusing her of taking the help of the militants to influence the voters to vote for her in the elections.
A week prior to the elections, posters with severe warning to voters and carrying pictures of guns and bullets were pasted in Williamnagar town in Garo language, police said.

During investigation, it was found that pasting of posters was the handiwork of Deborah, Tennydard Marak and certain GNLA leaders, the SP claimed.