Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court has quashed all criminal proceedings against Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, former Elementary and Mass Education Director JD Sangma, and former Deputy Director Ameka Lyngdoh in connection with the alleged irregularities in the 2008 recruitment of lower primary school teachers. Ampareen Lyngdoh was the education minister at the time.
The case, which dates back 17 years, stemmed from allegations of tampering with score sheets to favour certain candidates across five centres—Shillong, Jowai, Amlarem, Tura, and Dadenggre.
An FIR was filed in 2011, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the matter in 2018. The agency filed a chargesheet in 2020, but the trial made little headway in the years that followed.
On Thursday, Chief Justice IP Mukerji ruled that the prosecution’s evidence was too weak to sustain the charges.
The court observed that slips allegedly containing instructions to alter marks could not be treated as valid proof since the originals were missing. Moreover, there was no supporting material to establish that white ink or overwriting had been used on the score sheets.
The court further pointed out that all three key documents in question bore the signatures of the same five officials, making it impossible to attribute any manipulation to the accused.
The judge emphasised that the prosecution had failed to provide even the minimum level of evidence that could raise reasonable suspicion against the three.
Highlighting the extraordinary delay, the High Court noted that the case had dragged on for nearly two decades, subjecting the accused to prolonged mental distress. “Out of 181 witnesses, only 28 have been examined. Such delay violates the fundamental rights of the accused to live without prolonged anxiety,” the order stated.
With these observations, the High Court set aside the 2022 order of the Special CBI Judge, discharged Ampareen Lyngdoh, JD Sangma, and Ameka Lyngdoh, and quashed all related criminal proceedings.
Ampareen Lyngdoh, represented by senior Supreme Court advocate Salman Khurshid, expressed relief following the verdict, recalling the hardships her family endured throughout the protracted legal battle.
“I have suffered so much for 17 long years,” she said, dedicating the moment to her late mother and brother. She also extended gratitude to her family, supporters, and legal team, including Khurshid, for standing by her during the ordeal.
JD Sangma was represented by senior advocate K Paul, while Ameka Lyngdoh was represented by TT Diengdoh.
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