Shillong, Mar 25: The Meghalaya High Court has directed that the present position held by Pyndapborthiaw Saibon as president of the Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) shall be maintained.

“The present position of the petitioner No 2 (Saibon) as it exists, shall be maintained. Furthermore, he shall be at liberty to act as such till next date before the bench modification/alteration motion,” stated an order passed by Chief Justice, Mohammad Yaqoob Mir on March 20.

The order came after a petition filed by Saibon against the claim of lone KHNAM legislator from North Shillong Constituency, Adelbert Nongrum that he was elected as the new president of the party during a general convention held last year.

Nongrum had claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has recognized him as the new president of KHNAM through its letter dated on November 15, last year.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Saibon hailed the order passed by the High Court and said, “This has finally exposed the lies of the MLA, Adelbert Nongrum.”

He said the decision to file the petition before the High Court came after lodging a complaint with the Election Commission of India seeking its intervention into the matter.

ECI under secretary Kaptan Chand in his letter on February 7 had stated, “…it seems there is an internal dispute in the party regarding office bearers. You are therefore advised to resolve internal dispute within the party either amicably or else by the orders of a competent Court.”

The KHNAM chief said that in view of the order, he has the power to sign the Form A and B related to allotting party ticket to aspiring candidates.

Earlier the KHNAM led by Nongrum had given party ticket to THS Bonney, who had also filed his nomination papers from Shillong Lok Sabha constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls slated for April 11.

Saibon said that the party had already maintained that it would not field any candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

On the fate of Bonney as KHNAM candidate, Saibon said, “The form A and form B with which party ticket has been allotted to him (Bonney) have become null and void with the coming of this order.”

“We have also forwarded the Court’s order to the chief electoral officer (CEO) for necessary action on the matter. We will be compelled to file contempt case against the CEO or Returning Officer (RO) if they go against the order passed by the court,” he added.

Whether action will be taken against Nongrum, the KHNAM chief said, “We are not thinking in that line because he (Nongrum) is still the MLA of the party, but he (Nongrum) is no longer a member of the central executive committee.”

He said this is because of the fact that Nongrum and Bonney had already resigned as working presidents of the party, their resignations which have been accordingly accepted by the CEC.

“The party is ready to resolve whatever differences that are there with the MLA,” Saibon said.