Shillong, Apr 25: The Meghalaya High Court has ordered the consolidation of three FIRs filed against former Member of the District Council Sofior Rahman over a Facebook post that allegedly triggered violence in the Garo Hills region during tensions surrounding the GHADC elections.

A bench led by Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere disposed of Rahman’s petition seeking clubbing of the cases, ruling that the FIRs stemmed from the same social media post and must be investigated together. The court directed that the FIRs registered at Tura and Songsak, which had been transferred to the Crime Branch Police Station (Western Range), Tura, be shifted to Araimile Police Station, where the first case was lodged.

Rahman’s counsel argued that multiple FIRs on the same cause of action are legally untenable, citing Supreme Court precedents. The court agreed, noting that the allegations arose from a single post alleged to be provocative and capable of disturbing public order among communities.

The FIRs, registered in March under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and other laws, will now be investigated by Araimile Police Station. The court emphasized that the investigation must proceed strictly in accordance with the law.

The violence in Garo Hills followed a state notification barring non-tribals from contesting the GHADC elections, a departure from a practice maintained for over seven decades. The unrest claimed two lives, prompting the High Court to cancel the notification and the government to postpone the April 10 polls.