A court here on Friday acquitted former Bangladesh minister Salahuddin Ahmed who was arrested three years ago for allegedly tresspassing into Indian territory.
The trial in the case had concluded in August in the court of Judicial Magistrate D G Kharshiing, who reserved October 26 as the date for pronouncement of the judgment.
"My client has been acquitted of all charges as the prosecution failed to provide any evidence against him," Ahmed's legal counsel S P Mahanta told PTI.
The court has also directed the Meghalaya Police to deport Ahmed to his "country of origin", but the process will take some time, he said.
Altogether 11 witnesses, including police officers, were examined during the course of the trial, which lasted for over three years.
Bangladesh National Party (BNP) leader, Ahmed, was found loitering at Golflinks area of Shillong on May 11, 2015, reportedly two months after he went missing in Dhaka.
The police arrested him on the charge of trespassing into the country without valid documents. He was hospitalized soon after as the officers apparently found him "mentally unstable".
Later, Ahmed was shifted to North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science at Mawdiangdiang near here, as he complained of "chest pain".
The court of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Judicial) B Mawriehad granted him bail in June, 2015, on a bond of Rs 2 lakh, under three conditions -- he should not leave the jurisdiction of the court (Shillong), he should report at the office of East Khasi Hills superintendent of police, and appear before the court when summoned.
Ahmed, who had served as the communications minister from 2001 to 2006, claimed he was abducted from Bangladesh and had no idea how he reached Shillong.
His family members, too, corroborated the claim and said the BNP leader was picked up from Dhaka's Uttara area on March 10, 2015.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
