Bhubaneswar, April 12: Pratap Naik was 20 when Orissa High Court acquitted him of a murder charge. But he could not come out of jail for eight more years seemingly due to a ?communication problem? between the court and the jail authorities. By the time he walked out of the prison, Naik was under severe mental stress.

The youths spends his time at home now, yet to recover from the jail trauma.

Taking up his cause, human rights activist Prabir Das yesterday filed a PIL in the high court, seeking a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the loss of precious years. The PIL comes after the Supreme Court on March 18 suggested that the petitioner move the high court for relief.

Naik, a resident of Ghimuhani village under Purunakataka police station in Boudh district, was convicted in a case of murder on December 5, 1998. The district judge held him guilty of killing a neighbour following an altercation over cultivation rights.

Subsequently, a bench of the high court comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and S.K. Mohanty acquitted Naik on October 31, 1994.

The youth, however, had to languish in the Boudh district jail till January 22, 2003. The reason: the prison authorities did not receive his release order from the court.

Asked why Naik was unnecessarily kept in jail for eight years, inspector-general (prisons) Anup Patnaik said the prison authorities received the court order only on January 22, 2003 and released the youth the same day.

?Naik was not wanted in any other case. It was surprising that a person acquitted by the high court was illegally detained for more than eight years. The case needs thorough investigation and responsibility should be fixed so that such incidents do not happen in future,? Das said in his petition.

?The family members of the tribal youth are not educated or socially established. The state should compensate Naik and his family for the ordeal,? he added.