The Shillong Bench of the Gauhati High Court has directed Assam Rifles to release rifleman Md Hyder Ali from its custody with immediate effect. A Division Bench of Justice T Vaithei and Justice A P Subbha passed the order for Ali’s release on Friday evening, even as the Assam Rifles is yet to file an affidavit in a contempt notice served by the court. Ali’s lawyer Raghvendra Jha told The Indian Express on Saturday that he is now hopeful that the Assam Rifles would release his client immediately. While directing the Assam Rifles to release Ali “forthwith” it also observed that “the continued detention of the petitioner’s husband by the respondent without convening any fresh Court Martial” was in direct conflict with the provision of Army Rule 51(3). The court said it was hardly necessary to say that the army authority must act in conformity with the provision of the Army Act. Hyder Ali’s wife Shahbano had filed a petition challenging the “illegal detention” of her husband by the Assam Rifles. Ali has been kept in detention by the Assam Rifles in Manipur since January.
