The West Bengal government on Monday submitted before the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court that Bimal Gurung, chief of one of the two GJM factions, has fled the country, a claim vehemently denied by his lawyer.
The court asked the state government to file an affidavit on its claim that the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader was absconding.
A division bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and M Mandal also directed Gurung's lawyer to file a counter affidavit with regard to his assertion that he was very much within the country.
The court passed the direction while hearing an anticipatory bail prayer of Gurung in connection with around 120 criminal cases filed against him and another GJM leader, Roshan Giri, over alleged incidents of violence during the Darjeeling Hills statehood demand agitation in 2017.
The court gave the prosecution and Gurung two weeks each to file their affidavits and directed that the matter would be taken up for hearing again after five weeks.
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