Orissa High Court

Cuttack, April 16: Orissa High Court today fixed a two-week deadline for the CID-Crime Branch, which is investigating the Pipili gangrape case, to submit a report on the criminal liability of local police and doctors responsible for the plight of the victim.

The court was monitoring the investigation into the alleged incident and treatment of the victim on a petition seeking proper inquiry and proper treatment at the expense of the Odisha government and the victim’s rehabilitation along with compensation. The CID-Crime Branch submitted a status report on the investigation.

The two-judge bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra set the deadline after advocate-petitioner Prabir Kumar Das pointed out to the court that the CID-Crime Branch had been silent about investigations related to criminal liability of the local police, including the dismissed police inspector Amulya Kumar Champatray, who was officiating as the inspector in charge of the local police station when the incident took place on November 29, 2011.

While bringing to the notice of the court the dismissal order of Amulya Kumar Champatray issued by the director general of police (DGP) on January 24, 2012, Das further said that the investigating agency had been silent about investigations related to negligence of doctors who initially treated the victim at Pipili hospital, Capital Hospital and SCB Medical College and Hospital.

The DGP’s order indicated that the inspector in charge of Pipili police station had allegedly “subverted the procedure established by law”, “shielded criminals involved in heinous crime involving a scheduled caste girl” and “suppressed registration of case”, Das said.

The CID-Crime Branch sought three-weeks’ time to submit a report related to criminal liability of local police and doctors. The court, however, allowed two-weeks’ time.

In a status report submitted on March 29, the investigating agency had stated that four persons were arrested in connection with the case and chargesheets had been filed against them. “Investigation has been kept open to examine the criminal liability of local police officers and doctors,” the status report said.

No statement of the victim could be recorded as she was in a coma. She has been under treatment at the special intensive care unit of SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack since January 11.

In another development, 15 villagers under the aegis of the Pipili Shanti Committee have turned to the high court for a probe to find the persons responsible for “creating rumours” that allegedly snowballed into the Pipili gangrape case.

Convener of the committee Bikram Keshari Singh, 57, and the others including Satrughan Pandey (chief of Arjungoda village where the incident took place) have filed a petition for the probe by way of direction for including it in the investigation undertaken by CID-Crime Branch. The villagers have also sought direction to include it in the terms of reference of the Judicial Commission appointed to inquire into the Pipili gangrape case.

The Odisha government appointed the Justice P.K. Mohanty Commission to ascertain the circumstances leading to the loss of consciousness of the gangrape victim. The commission has also been asked to identify the persons responsible for the incident and role of the police in discharging their duty.

The commission has fixed April 21 for its third sitting after extending the last date for receiving affidavits in connection with the incident to April 20 after receiving just nine affidavits since it issued a notice inviting the affidavits on February 3.

In their petition filed in the high court, the villagers claimed that the “concocted allegation” of gangrape “has damaged and tarnished the social life of the villagers”.

“The people of neighbouring villages and other areas are hesitating to keep any relationship with them. Prospective engagement and successful marriage proposals have broken down. No outsider today is ready to have matrimonial relationship in the locality,” the petition said.