Cuttack, March 18: Orissa High Court today issued notices to the state government seeking clarification on the alleged violation of sound pollution regulations in a marriage procession after 10pm and the transfer of a police officer who had tried to stop it. The officer was transferred allegedly at the behest of the school and mass education minister Pratap Jena.
The two-judge bench of Justice B.P. Das and Justice M.M. Das directed the state home secretary and the director general of police to file a report on the alleged incident and fixed April 6 for hearing on the case.
The home secretary and the DGP are expected to file an affidavit about the veracity of the reports.
The amicus curiae’s petition related to “issue of violation of the sound pollution regulation and transfer of ASI of police of Salipur police station following the direction of the minister.
According to the petition, residents of the Salipur Bazar area had called up the Salipur police station to complain about the nuisance and inconvenience caused due to unrestricted sound by microphones, band parties and bursting of crackers in a marriage procession around 10.30 pm. “A police officer, on receiving the complaint, went to the spot and asked the procession to stop the use of the microphone in the band and crackers and tried to implement and enforce Noise Pollution (Regulation & Control) Rules, 2000, and instructions and guidelines issued in this regard by the state government. However, the officer was later transferred for such action,” the petition said.
The high court had banned the playing of bands after 10pm. The news report had alleged that when ASI Nirmal Chandra Senapati tried to enforce the ban, school and mass education minister Pratrap Jena, who was participating in it, intervened. Consequently, the Salipur police station inspector-in-charge Arjun Barik allowed the marriage procession to violate the high court ban order. and sound pollution norms. Later the ASI was transferred. He is at present attached to the office of the SP Cuttack (rural) in Cuttack without any specific duty.
