The banned Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has said that it remains committed to challenge its ban and that the next hearing of the judicial tribunal will be a “critical moment” to expose the “lies and baseless allegations” of the central and state governments.
The HNLC in an emailed statement claimed that the recent decision by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to prevent its legal counsel from filing a show cause exposes the blatant political agenda of the Indian government and its proxy regime in Meghalaya.
“Despite these political manipulations, the HNLC remains committed to challenging the fabricated accusations against it. The Tribunal’s proceedings in Guwahati on April 9 will be a critical moment in exposing the lies and baseless allegations of the Indian establishment. The fight is far from over. We will not be silenced. The Hynñiewtrep struggle for sovereignty and self-determination cannot be crushed by legal theatrics and bureaucratic oppression,” it said.
The judicial tribunal consisting of Justice Soumitra Saikia, a judge of the Gauhati High Court during its sitting in Shillong on Saturday did not allow HNLC legal counsel Fernando Shangpliang to submit the showcause because time fixed for submission of reply or objection on extension of the ban was February 13, 2025.
The outfit claimed that when both the Union government and the state government of Meghalaya have already submitted their affidavits, roadblocks are created in their attempts to respond legally. “This move exposes the hypocrisy of the Indian state, which preaches democracy but acts like a colonial oppressor. It proves once again that the government’s only intent is to maintain its illegal grip over Hynñiewtrep, rather than engage in a fair judicial process,” it said.
Stating that the HNLC has rightfully and democratically approached the tribunal, the outfit said, “Despite adhering to legal norms, the very system that claims to uphold justice is being weaponized to silence our struggle. The tribunal’s refusal to accept our legal counsel’s representation is nothing short of a deliberate attempt to deny Hynñiewtrep its rightful voice in a so-called democracy. There is no justice for us as long as we remain under the Indian flag.”
It said that the tribunal’s actions constitute a flagrant violation of the due process of law as enshrined in the Indian judicial system and brazenly trampled upon the universally accepted principles of natural justice, reducing the proceedings to a “mockery of fairness akin to medieval kangaroo courts where verdicts are predetermined, and justice is but an illusion.”
“Such a ruthless perversion of legal principles exposes the tribunal as nothing more than a political weapon wielded to crush any resistance against India’s ongoing occupation of Hynñiewtrep,” the HNLC added.
