SKM president released from jail

Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president P S Golay was today released from a Sikkim jail, after serving a year's term following his conviction in a corruption case.

The chief of the opposition SKM party was greeted by supporters as he came out of Rongyek jail, near here, after which his entourage left for Singtam in East Sikkim, where he will address party workers later in the day, senior party member Jacob Khaling said.

The five-time MLA was in high spirits after his release from the jail, Khaling said.

Goley was sentenced to one year imprisonment by a lower court in December 2016 after he was convicted of misappropriating Rs 9.5 lakh meant for distributing cows to beneficiaries under a state government scheme, when he was the animal husbandry minister in the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government in 1994-1999.

The sentence of the lower court was upheld by Sikkim High Court in June last year following which he had surrendered before the district and sessions court at Sichey here on this date last year.

A founder member of the SDF, Golay was named in a chargesheet filed by the vigilance department in 2010.

Golay had resigned from the SDF in September 2013 alleging nepotism and lack of proper leadership and floated the SKM.

After addressing party supporters at Singtam, Goley will travel to his home at Singling in West Sikkim.