Ranchi, April 24: The Jharkhand High Court today pulled up the senior superintendent of police, R.K. Mallick, for not arresting the culprits allegedly involved in a gangrape in November 2003.

Justice Amareshwar Sahay hauled up the police officer also for his department?s failure to file a counter-affidavit to explain the delay in the arrest, thereby not complying with the orders of the court.

Pleading ignorance, Mallick, however, assured the court that the criminals named by the victim would be put behind the bars within a month. Mallick also informed the court that he would personally pursue the matter and see to it that the guilty persons are punished.

The state counsel appearing on behalf of Mallick said the SSP would escort the victim to the Sukhdeo Nagar police station under which the crime had taken place and investigate into the matter afresh.

The court, after recording the statement of the officer, directed the police to wind up the investigation and arrest the accused in a month and also ordered the victim to extend all co-operation to the police during the course of investigation.

The petitioner, who was a victim of gangrape, had moved the high court after the police did not arrest the accused persons.

The victim was allegedly raped on November 26, 2003 and a FIR was also lodged in the Sukhdeo Nagar police station in that connection. The victim named the accused persons in the FIR.

The chief judicial magistrate had also issued directives to the police to arrest the accused persons in 2004. The court had also ordered the investigating officer to furnish his report in the gangrape case. The superintendent of police was also directed to ensure the arrest of the guilty.

However, despite the orders of the lower court, the police had not taken steps to arrest the four named accused in the case.

The victim then filed a criminal writ application in the high court which had directed the Sukhdeo Nagar police station officer in-charge, investigating officer, the DSP and SSP to file a counter affidavit to explain the delay in the arrest of the accused persons.

Conditional bail

Jharkhand High Court granted conditional bail to three persons ? Prashant Banerjee, Haldhar Mahto and Vijay Soren ? accused of conspiring the murder of former Neersa legislator Sushanta Gupta. The CBI had taken over the case for investigation after Gupta was murdered in 2002.

Gupta?s assailants were granted conditional bail today. The accused persons have also been directed to be present on every date during the trial of the case.