Dumka: A special MP-MLA court in Dumka on Tuesday acquitted former Jharkhand BJP president and now JMM member Tala Marandi, his son Munna Marandi and three others in a 2016 case related to the alleged marriage of a minor girl, saying the prosecution failed to prove the charges.Special judge Mohit Chaudhary acquitted all five accused — Tala, Munna, Bhagan Baskey, Bhima Marandi and Anil Hembram — after finding the evidence insufficient to establish the allegations.The case dates back to Feb 27, 2016, when Tala was serving as state BJP president. His son Munna was allegedly married to a minor girl, triggering a political controversy. Following the row, then Boarijor BDO-cum-child marriage prohibition officer Vijay Kumar Marandi lodged an FIR against the five under Sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.The allegations had hit Tala’s political career. He resigned as BJP state president in Aug 2016 after initially claiming that he would not step down unless the charges were proved.Reacting to the verdict, Tala said he had faith in the judicial process. “The court examined the evidence and acquitted all five accused. I respect the verdict and am relieved that the matter has finally come to an end,” he said.The case followed Marandi through several political shifts. BJP denied him a ticket in the 2019 assembly election, after which he joined Ajsu Party and contested from Borio but lost. He later returned to BJP.In the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, BJP fielded him from Rajmahal, where he lost. In April 2025, he quit BJP and joined JMM.
