Gauhati, September 22 (Daily Kiran) : The Gauhati High Court dismissed a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appeal against the acquittal of senior Congress leader Ripun Bora in the 2000 murder case of Assam’s tea community leader, Daniel Topno. This decision, made on September 22, 2026, grants Bora significant legal relief.
The high court upheld the lower court’s ruling that had cleared Bora of all charges. The case revolves around the murder of Daniel Topno in the Gohpur region of Assam in September 2000. The CBI took over the investigation in 2001 and later named Bora as one of the accused.
The case lingered for years in the Kamrup District and Sessions Court, which ultimately acquitted Bora and another co-accused, Pulin Phukan, in February 2014. The lower court determined that the evidence presented was insufficient to support the charges against them.
Following this verdict, the CBI challenged the decision in the Gauhati High Court, seeking to overturn the lower court’s ruling. However, after reviewing the appeal, the high court rejected the CBI’s challenge on Tuesday.
Bora, a former president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and a former Union minister, has been an active figure in Assam’s political landscape for decades. The CBI sought judicial intervention against the 2014 acquittal, but the recent high court ruling means that the lower court’s decision in favor of Bora and Phukan remains intact.
This case has garnered significant attention in Assam, particularly due to Topno’s prominence as a leader within the tea garden community and the involvement of a notable political figure. The details of the high court’s ruling will clarify the reasons behind the dismissal of the appeal.
The case is part of a series of long-pending criminal matters in Assam that have undergone various stages of investigation and judicial review over the years.
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