Imphal, April 18 2009: Deputy Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, Thounaojam Shyamkumar resigned from the post and surrendered before the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Imphal West today.

He has been remanded in judicial custody till May 2 and now in the Imphal Central Jail.

The decision of the Deputy Speaker was taken in protest against long pending case against him with the Delhi police who arrested him from Indira Gandhi International Airport two and a half years back in October 2006 along with two hardcore members of the banned outfit, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) before he joined state politics.

Th Shyamkumar, who was elected as MLA in 2007 elections to the state Assembly later became the Deputy Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.

He was elected for the post unopposed.

Shyamkumar submitted his resignation paper to the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, S Bhudichandra today at 1.30 pm.

Assembly Secretariat also later issued a notification stating "Th Shyamkumar has resigned from the office of the Deputy Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly on the afternoon of the 18th April, 2009 (Saturday) .

He went to Assembly as soon as he announced his resignation from the office of the Deputy Speaker after a brief meeting with the media persons today at around 1 pm at his official quarter at Majorkhul, Imphal.

He said he decided to resign from the post only not to happen that a deputy speaker of a house of representative has gone to jail.

The step has been taken up as Delhi court did not initiate trial of the case pending with him and refusal to give regular bail if the trial is to be delayed.

Later, we went to the Judicial Magistrate 1st Class Imphal West at Lamphel and surrendered in the court judicial magistrate, RK Memcha expressing that he was not satisfied with long pending case against him with the Delhi police and urged to speed up the trial process so that he could resign from the constitutional post he is holding after winning the election.

In his resignation letter addressed to the Speaker of the state Assembly, Shyamkumar wrote that he had tendered the resignation from the post of the Deputy Speaker on moral ground as he is compelled to surrender before the court of the CJM, Imphal East today as a custodian of Law and law abiding citizen, who have place allegiance to the Constitution of the country.

After resigned from the post, Shyamkumar proceeded to the Lamphelpat court complex at around 1.30 pm and surrendered before the judicial magistrate, Imphal west.

He was immediately remanded to the judicial custody till May 2 and sent to Imphal Central Jail.

In the ruling of the Additional Judicial Magistrate, RK Memcha in charge of Imphal west that the court received two separate applications from Shyamkumar himself and his mother Laitonjam Ningol Shyamasakhi.

The applications are related with the FIR case registered under section 121/121-A/124-A/400/120-B of the IPC of the Imphal PS and Explosive Substance Act and section 10/13 of UA (P) Act.

His mother prayed the court that as she is too old and she cannot be the surety of her son.

Then Shyamkumar surrendered himself.

The same court released Shyamkumar on bail on November 17, 2006 in which his mother Shyamasakhi signed the surety bond.

When the judge asked whether she could give surety again as Shyamkumar himself surrendered to the court, Shayamsakhi said that she or none cannot give the surety bond in favour her son and give signal the remand her son to the judicial custody.

Shyamkumar Singh was arrested along with two senior members of the UNLF from Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi on October 2, 2006, while he was trying to take flight to Kathmandu-bound aircraft.

After registering a case against of being a member of the ban insurgent group warring against Indian Union on the demand of sovereignty of Manipur, he was sent to Tihar Jail where he contested the state Assembly election in 2007 from jail, where he was lodged.

He won the election a nominee of the Manipur Peoples' Party (MPP) from Andro Assembly constituency in imphal east and later elected as the Deputy Speaker.

A special Delhi court released him on interim bail to allow him to take oath.

Since then, his interim bail was extended from time to time.

Mention may be made that on October 2, 2006, Th Shyamkumar was arrested by the Delhi police while trying to fly for Nepal from the Indira Gandhi International Airport on the alleged charge of link with the proscribed UNLF outfit and sent to Tihar Jail.

He said that he was arrested on his way to Kathmandu for his sister's admission to a medical college in Nepal.

He met the other two Manipuris who were rounded up together by the Delhi police from the waiting room, he recounted.

Delhi police is charging him of having a nexus with militants.

Shyamkumar was born on March 1, 1970 at Moirangpurel village as son of Thounaojam Binoykumar and presently residing at Uripok Yambem Leikai even though his permanent address is Yairipok Yambem Leikai.

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