By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Aug 3: The Gauhati High Court has asked the State Government to submit the final ‘action taken report’ on the Manisana Singh Commission probe into financial anomalies in cashew nut cultivation in Dima Hasao district of the state, within the next two months. This was stated by the advocate of the Assam Enviro-Legal Protection Society, an NGO, on Friday.

The Assam Enviro-Legal Protection Society had filed a public interest litigation (PIL no. 98/10) in 2010 citing large-scale financial anomalies in the cashew nut cultivation in the hills district.

Chief Justice AK Goel and Justice NK Singh during the hearing in the cashew nut cultivation case held on Friday reportedly expressed their dissatisfaction over the slow progress of the ‘action-taken’ on the Manisana Singh Commission probe into the case and told the State Government to speed up the process of submitting the ‘action taken report’.

The Manisana Singh Commission report probed the diversion of funds meant for development to the coffers of DHD (Jewel) militants in the district.

In the PIL, the petitioner Assam Enviro-Legal Protection Society alleged a financial anomaly to the tune of Rs 7 crore in 2008 in the name of cashew nut cultivation in the hills district.

Alleging huge corruption, the PIL said the money was released to the Director of Agriculture and Horticulture Mission, Dima Hasao district, with manipulation of office records and forged documents, including vouchers, money receipt and challans.

The PIL had named 11 respondents, including former Assam governor Lt-Gen (retd) Ajay Singh, and 10 other senior officials of the hills district.