Cuttack, Feb. 14: The trial of the Kandhamal nun gangrape case, which was scheduled to resume after a gap of eight months in the court of the district sessions judge, Cuttack, has been adjourned till March 27.

The trial court had issued summons to start recording of the accused persons’ statements.

As all the 28 witnesses for the prosecution had been examined, recording of 10 accused persons’ statements and examination of the witnesses for the defence were to be taken up.

“District sessions judge Shatrughna Pujahari adjourned it after an affidavit and a time petition was filed on behalf of the nun, citing an interim order by the Supreme Court on the special leave petition (SLP) filed by her challenging the Orissa High Court order rejecting her plea for recall of a witness,” defence counsel Sarbeswara Behera told The Telegraph.

“The affidavit filed by the nun’s counsel said a Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice S.S. Nijjar had, in an interim order on the SLP yesterday, directed the sessions court not to proceed with the trial. The time petition said final hearing on the SLP had been fixed for March 22,” Behera said.

This is the second time the trial has been disrupted because of a legal dispute over recall of a witness.

The nun’s contention has been that at the time of test identification parade, she only stated that she had identified an accused. But the magistrate, had in his statement before the trial court, stated that she had narrated how the accused had behaved when the incident occurred.