HC seeks status report on investigation into Naba Das murder | Bhubaneswar News
Cuttack: Two years after BJD leader and health minister Naba Kisore Das was shot dead by an on-duty policeman, the Orissa high court on Wednesday sought a status report on the investigation into the assassination.
The HC sought the status report in response to a PIL seeking direction to the CBI to investigate the murder of Das. Pinakpani Mohanty, a social activist, had filed the petition.
The BJD leader was shot dead by assistant sub-inspector Gopal Das at Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda district on Jan 29, 2023. He died hours later at a hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Das was arrested the next day. The state CID-Crime Branch probed the murder under the supervision of Justice J P Das (retired) and submitted a chargesheet. The accused police officer is in custody and the trial is on.
In his petition, Mohanty alleged that the inquiry report submitted by the crime branch “is doubtful as it left out most evidence and did not seize valuable material objects”.
While seeking a CBI probe, the petition contended that the crime branch has also failed to give the answer as to why and under what circumstances the accused killed Das.
Taking note of it, the two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice M S Sahoo said, “We require the state to inform us of the status of investigation/criminal case in respect of health minister Naba Das being shot. The information to be furnished will be on written instruction issued.”
The PIL was posted to Feb 19 for further consideration. Earlier, on Feb 8, 2023, the high court had declined to entertain a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the murder of Naba Das. Berhampur-based Bharatiya Bikash Parishad president Surendra Panigrahi had filed the PIL.
A two-judge bench of then Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice M S Raman had then said, “Petition is based purely on newspaper publications and investigation is underway. At this stage, the court would not like to entertain the petition.”
The HC sought the status report in response to a PIL seeking direction to the CBI to investigate the murder of Das. Pinakpani Mohanty, a social activist, had filed the petition.
The BJD leader was shot dead by assistant sub-inspector Gopal Das at Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda district on Jan 29, 2023. He died hours later at a hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Das was arrested the next day. The state CID-Crime Branch probed the murder under the supervision of Justice J P Das (retired) and submitted a chargesheet. The accused police officer is in custody and the trial is on.
In his petition, Mohanty alleged that the inquiry report submitted by the crime branch “is doubtful as it left out most evidence and did not seize valuable material objects”.
While seeking a CBI probe, the petition contended that the crime branch has also failed to give the answer as to why and under what circumstances the accused killed Das.
Taking note of it, the two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice M S Sahoo said, “We require the state to inform us of the status of investigation/criminal case in respect of health minister Naba Das being shot. The information to be furnished will be on written instruction issued.”
The PIL was posted to Feb 19 for further consideration. Earlier, on Feb 8, 2023, the high court had declined to entertain a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the murder of Naba Das. Berhampur-based Bharatiya Bikash Parishad president Surendra Panigrahi had filed the PIL.
A two-judge bench of then Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice M S Raman had then said, “Petition is based purely on newspaper publications and investigation is underway. At this stage, the court would not like to entertain the petition.”
