The Gauhati High Court gave a clean chit to former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in “secret killings” case, upholding its 2018 verdict.

The court said that the accusations against Mahanta were part of a “conspiracy”. In its order, Justice Mitali Thakuria said that the case was “devoid of merit”.

“Secret killing” refers to unidentified killing of family members of ULFA militants in the late 1990s. There were a series of such killings during 1996-2001, and the killers have not yet been identified. The assailants allegedly assassinated relatives, acquaintances, and sympathisers of ULFA members. When the “secret killings” allegedly occurred in Assam, Mahanta was the state’s chief minister.

The Congress often accused Asom Gana Parishad, which was ruling the state during the period. The court pulled up Ajit Bhuyan and Ananta Kalita, Rajya Sabha MPs from Assam, for failing to produce meaningful documentation to support their accusations. It said, “Keeping in view the observations, it is apparent that not only have the applicants failed to convincingly explain the gross delay of 531 days occasioned in filing of the appeal but they have also made inconsistent and contradictory pleadings in the three affidavits.”

In 2018, the HC held that the constitution of KN Saikia Commission was not valid. Later, Bhuyan and Kalita filed an interlocutory application appealing the high court’s decision in the matter.