Gauhati HC grants bail to Sanghamitra Bharali

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court today granted bail to Sanghamitra Bharali, who had claimed to have a relationship with former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, in a disproportionate assets case. Criminal Single Bench Judge T Vaiphei granted the bail on Thursday in criminal case No. Crl.M.C. 237/2013 in Criminal Appeal 244/12. Bharali was sentenced to four years imprisonment by a special court in Guwahati on 21 November last year.[caption id=“attachment_697257” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Asom Gana Parishad president Prafulla Mahanta. Reuters[/caption] The court of special judge M Mazed Ali on that day had also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Bharali, who is a former assistant language officer in Assam Legislative assembly. The state vigilance and anti-corruption branch had registered a case in 2001 for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income and filed the chargesheet in February last year. Bharali is reported to own posh residential apartments in Mumbai and Guwahati, two cars and has invested in the share market. Bharali had hit the headlines when she claimed that Mahanta, then chief minister, had married her in a secret temple ceremony in Mumbai in March 2001 even when both were married to their respective spouses. Even though Mahanta denied Bharali’s claim, his political career took a beating and he was compelled to leave Asom Gana Parishad he had founded to form a separate political party. He has, however, rejoined AGP and is now its president. PTI