NEW DELHI, June 15 - The Assam government today informed the Supreme Court that it will place before it some confidential documents regarding the Rebati Phukan disappearance case for its perusal.
�The Union of India prays and is granted two weeks� time to file the affidavit. The counsel appearing for Assam submits that he would like to place certain confidential documents before the court for perusal. Let the matter be called on in the second week of July,� the Bench said.
A Vacation Bench, comprising Justice UU Lalit and Justice Deepak Gupta, allowed the request of the Centre�s counsel who said they have been recently served with the notice issued to them by the apex court in the Rebati Phukan disappearance case and that they would file an affidavit within two weeks.
The petitioner (Rebati Phukan�s son Kaushik) claimed that they have come to know that Rebati had on April 20 attended a �secret meeting� with a retired bureaucrat and a lawyer practicing in the Gauhati High Court, during which a �proposal memorandum to negotiate with Paresh Baruah was discuss and the same was to be presented before the Prime Minister soon�. He claimed that on May 4, a CRPF doctor had sent a message to a journalist that Rebati was treated by him at a camp of the paramilitary force in Meghalaya and that he was safe and sound.
It also referred to recent media reports in which Paresh Baruah had said that Phukan was negotiating a �fresh proposal for Baruah�s faction with the Centre with help from RN Ravi, the Interlocutor with the Naga outfit National Socialist (Isak-Muivah).�
The petitioner said that his father went for morning walk on April 22 but did not return to his rented house, following which a complaint was filed.
Kaushik also quoted ULFA (Independent) chief Paresh Baruah as saying that Rebati may be in the custody of any of the Central agencies like Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Military Intelligence or the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as they �have rivalry amongst them�.
On June 1, the apex court had sought responses from the Centre as well as the Assam and Meghalaya governments on the plea, which claimed that a doctor reportedly treated Phukan in Meghalaya a few days ago.
The plea sought a direction to the authorities, including the Assam government, to produce him before the court.
The petitioner has also urged the top court that the case be transferred to the CBI or any other independent agency or a special investigating team as there was �loss of faith in the local police� due to its �lethargic conduct�.
The petitioner had earlier informed the court that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had assured all possible help in finding Phukan, but was unaware of his location as various Central agencies were involved in the case.
It was claimed that Phukan was working as a peace negotiator between the Centre and ULFA since 1991 to facilitate a dialogue. He was a member of the erstwhile People�s Consultative Group (PCG), which was formed by ULFA in 2005 to mediate between the rebel group and the Centre.
The petitioner�s father has also been working directly with the Prime Minister�s Office since 1991 for various peace measures between the Centre and ULFA. It was claimed that Phukan had also �worked in association and cooperated� with the IB till 2016 on various missions in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China.
