Guwahati: Making a history, jailed RTI activist and first time MLA from Sivasagar constituency, Akhil Gogoi on Friday took an oath of office at the Assam legislative assembly.
Gogoi, who had contested won the recent elections from the Sivasagar, was taken to the Assam legislative assembly amid security and sworn in by pro tem speaker Phani Bhushan Choudhury.
Gogoi becomes the first member in the House who had not only contested the polls from the jail but also the first one in Assam to take the oath of office while in judicial custody.
The court had granted permission to Gogoi to take part in the oath-taking ceremony. With the swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Gogoi is expected to continue his struggle for the downtrodden people of Assam more democratically from within the House.
However, legal experts in Assam opined that although Gogoi have won the election with a record margin, there is still a long road ahead for his freedom from jail.
Gogoi's legal counsel Santanu Barthakur while talking to ETV Bharat said that his election to the Assam legislative assembly is unlikely to influence the legal process which is pending.
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"There are two cases under the National Investigating Agency (NIA) pending against him. While Gogoi was granted bail last October against one of the two cases, the legal process regarding the other NIA case is still pending.," said Borthakur.
Gogoi was arrested by Assam police in December 2019 for his involvement in the CAA movement. The government had later handed the investigation of the case to NIA. The NIA has also been probing Gogoi's alleged links with the Maoists.
Borthakur said that the hearing regarding the second NIA case might take some more time, which is likely to delay the process for the release of Gogoi.
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On Friday, Akhil Gogoi had also appealed to the Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Biswajit Daimary to allow him to attend the ongoing three-day session of the Assembly.
With the cases pending against him, it seems that Akhil Gogoi has to continue his struggle from within the jail rather than sitting in the House like his other colleagues.
