Guwahati: The special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court in Guwahati on Wednesday acquitted 31 accused, including several top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in a 35-year-old case.
The list of acquitted also included ULFA’s general secretary Anup Chetia. Â
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The verdict brings closure to one of the longest-running trials in Assam’s insurgency-linked legal history.
The case, originally registered in 1991 as Case No. 1/1991 at Dispur Police Station, accused the ULFA leaders and others of creating terror, extortion, and carrying out unlawful activities.
It was prosecuted under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Sections 3 and 4 of TADA, Section 10(3), along with multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Though registered in 1991, the trial formally commenced in 2001 and dragged on for nearly 25 years.
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Among the prominent names acquitted are Chetia, Pradip Gogoi, Arabinda Rajkhowa, Munin Nobis, Kalpajyoti Neog, Raju Barua, Sashadhar Choudhury, Sunil Nath and Anadar Thakuria.
They were all once regarded as the face of ULFA’s armed movement during Assam’s insurgency peak in the 1990s.
Reacting to the verdict, Chetia said, “We are satisfied by the judgement. The government failed to produce valid documents. The written verdict will take some time, but justice has been delivered. In the coming days, we will continue working for our community and nation.
Chetia, however noted that one more TADA case involving 10–11 accused remains pending.
ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa also welcomed the decision. “We waited many years for this verdict. We are thankful to the judges,” he stated.
The acquittal of all 31 accused marks the end of a decades-long trial symbolic of Assam’s turbulent past.
The TADA Act, now repealed, was once a key tool used by the state against insurgent groups.
The case’s conclusion will further pave way for peace talks and reconciliation efforts.
Most of the acquitted have already joined negotiations with the government to resolve decades of conflict.