Delhi court absolves Naxal leader Kobad Gandhy of terrorist charges

New Delhi, Mar 28 (ANI): A Delhi court on Wednesday absolved top Naxal leader Kobad Gandhy of charges under the stringent anti-terror law, while putting him on trial for alleged cheating, forgery and impersonation.

Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Jain discharged Gandhy of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act due to improper sanction from the authorities.

However, Judge Jain framed charges against 65-year-old Gandhy under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) relating to cheating, forgery and impersonation in the case in which he is accused of trying to set up a base for banned outfit Communist Party of India (CPI) Maoist.

Gandhy, an alumni of the prestigious Doon School, who headed the CPI (Maoist) publication wing, was nabbed in Delhi in 2009, following inputs from intelligence agencies. He has been a part of the People's War Group (PWG) since its initial stages.

Gandhy also played an important role in fostering the development of the front's organisations. In 1994, he was allegedly active in floating a forum named the All India People"s Resistance Forum.

He had gone underground after the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist), the People's War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre of India in 2004 when the CPI (Maoist) came into existence. (ANI)