HC orders FIR against Meghalaya minister, others

Shillong, Jan 8 (IANS) The Meghalaya High Court has directed the CBI to register an FIR against Meghalaya Urban Affairs Minister Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh and nine MUDA officials regarding permission to construct high-rise buildings here.

The Central Bureau of Investigation was directed to file the first information report against 13 others, including Parliamentary Secretary Lamboklang Mylliem, who were beneficiaries of the alleged illegal permission given by the accused officials of the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) for high-rise buildings in the high seismic zone.

"…this case may require expert handling by experienced judicial officers… I grant liberty to the CBI to register the case at their headquarters, New Delhi, and seek liberty from the Supreme Court, if so advised, to prosecute the aforesaid persons in a Delhi court so that trial could reach logical conclusion well within time and to the full satisfaction of the litigants," Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh said in an order issued on Thursday night.

The Supreme Court had refused to grant stay on a special leave petition by MUDA against the high court’s order of September 28, 2015, directing preliminary enquiry by the CBI regarding illegal construction of high-rise buildings.