Controversial former MLA sentenced to 25-year imprisonment in rape case of minor girl
New Delhi: A former MLA from Mawhati constituency in Meghalaya, Julius Kitbok Dorphang has been sentenced to 25-year imprisonment after the court found him guilty in a case relating to the rape of a minor girl.
According to an NDTV report, Dorphang was found guilty in a rape case of a 14-year-old minor girl in 2017.
Dorphang was sentenced by F.S. Sangma, a special judge who specifically adjudicates on Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases in Ri-Bhoi, the district from where Dorphang was elected to the state legislative assembly.
According to a report by the Shillong Times, the judgment had been pronounced on August 13 and the charges read on August 24, which also included a fine of Rs 15 lakh in addition to the jail term.
The ex-legislator was also the founder and chief of the separatist group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC). After surrendering to the police in 2007, Dorphang contested state assembly elections in 2013 and was elected from the Mawhati seat in the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
Dorphang was among 12 people arrested for being involved in an illegal sex trafficking ring in the state on the basis of nine FIRs filed by the state Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR). On January 4, 2017, a district court filed a non-bailable warrant against Dorphang, following which he went into hiding.
Dorphang was finally apprehended at a bus terminus in Guwahati, Assam, and brought to a district court in Shillong where he was charged under the POCSO Act as well as the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act. He was then put in the Nongpoh district jail where he remained until 2020, when a single-judge bench of the Meghalaya high court granted him bail on medical grounds. He has been shifted back to the district jail following his conviction, according to the Shillong Times report.
Dorphang’s legal counsel, Kishore Ch Gautam has noted that they will appeal the judgment in the Meghalaya high court.
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Karnataka: GBA city corporation polls likely between June 14 and 24
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi on Friday said elections to the five city corporations under the GBA will be held anytime between June 14 and June 24.
He said the exact date for the polls will be announced after a week, asserting that the power to postpone the elections, as requested by GBA authorities, lies with the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to conduct Bengaluru local body elections by June 30.
On Friday, the SEC held a consultation meeting with the GBA Chief Commissioner and commissioners of the five city corporations regarding the election schedule, as per the provisions of the GBA Act.
“During the meeting, I informed GBA officials that only the election date has to be fixed, as all other measures and formalities for conducting the polls have already been completed,” Sangreshi said.
“They requested the Commission to consider factors such as rains, exams, census work, SIR, and manpower shortages while fixing the date and sought additional time,” he added.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, “I told them this meeting was not for seeking time. Elections to the five corporations under the GBA must be held before June 30, as directed by the Supreme Court, and a compliance report must be submitted to the court. I do not have the power to postpone the elections as requested.”
The Supreme Court has already given a “final opportunity,” and both the SEC and the government must comply with its directions, the State Election Commissioner said.
He asked GBA officials to suggest suitable dates between June 14 and June 24.
“While stating that they are ready for elections, the officials highlighted operational challenges, including manpower shortages. However, I have informed them that the elections will have to be held between June 14 and June 24. After a week, I will announce the final date,” he said.
Reiterating that he does not have the power to postpone the elections, Sangreshi said the authority rests with the Supreme Court, and elections must be conducted as scheduled.
“We have consulted the GBA as per the rules. It is up to them to suggest a date within the given window. If they need more time, they must approach the court. Our responsibility is to fix the date and complete the polls before June 30,” he said.
The matter regarding manpower and other concerns raised by GBA officials is already before the Supreme Court, and the State Election Commission has also filed a petition in this regard. The case is yet to be heard.
“Since the matter has not come up for hearing, the earlier order remains binding. Therefore, preparations are underway,” he added.
The tenure of the previous elected body under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ended on September 10, 2020, and since then, a government-appointed administrator has been managing its day-to-day affairs.
Bengaluru was divided into five municipal corporations—Central, East, West, North, and South—under the Greater Bengaluru Authority in September 2025, replacing the BBMP.
Sangreshi had earlier said that elections to the five corporations would be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines.
This follows the Congress government’s decision last September to recommend the use of ballot papers in all future panchayat and urban local body elections, citing concerns over declining public confidence in EVMs.
The state government subsequently enacted the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2026, paving the way for the use of ballot papers in local body elections.
