HT Digital,
Guwahati, April 4: The Gauhati High Court has overruled an earlier order that had provided temporary relief to Lok Sabha MP Naba Sarania in a case questioning his Scheduled Tribe (Plains) (ST-P) status. Sarania has twice represented the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat, reserved for the ST(P) community.
A two-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi, ordered on Wednesday that Sarania’s writ petition be listed for final disposal on Friday due to the urgent nature of the case. The bench, which also included Justice Suman Shyam, stated that the initial order could not be upheld.
The court has urged for the matter to be resolved swiftly, and has asked for the case to be heard on a daily basis if necessary. The Assam government and four others had filed the case against Sarania and three others, challenging a single-judge bench’s March 27, 2024, order which had temporarily halted an earlier order affecting Sarania’s tribal status.
Sarania has been an Independent representative of the Kokrajhar constituency in the Lok Sabha since 2016 and is anticipated to run for a third consecutive term in the upcoming May 7 elections.