BHUBANESWAR: In a setback to the Crime Branch (CB), the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge at Jharsuguda on Thursday rejected its petition seeking a detailed examination of ASI Gopal Krushna Das at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru.
Gopal is accused of killing health minister Naba Kishore Das. The agency’s petition was earlier rejected by the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Jharsuguda.A CB officer said the court rejected the petition on technical grounds and not on merit of the request.
A three-member team of psychiatrists from Bengaluru had earlier examined Gopal when he was brought on police remand. The psychiatrists had advised the accused’s detailed mental health evaluation to arrive at a conclusion.
Legal experts said the petition was rejected by the court as the police can only take an accused on remand within 15 days of his first production before a magistrate after being arrested.CB officers maintained their petition was not to take Gopal on police remand but to shift him to NIMHANS under the security of Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Services.
Remand advocate Hari Sankar Agrawal appeared for Gopal during hearing of the agency’s petition. As Gopal had not approached any lawyer for his defence, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) had appointed Agrawal as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines.