CUTTACK: Expressing serious concern over “recurring and disturbing incidents, in and around the National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Cuttack, the Orissa High Court has issued a set of guidelines to strengthen safety and discipline in the campus and adjacent areas.
The single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi has directed enhancement of security measures by the local police with patrolling during late evening hours, and establishment of a police outpost near the campus at Naraj, manned by an officer not below the rank of sub-inspector.
A police beat house with 24x7 deployment of personnel should also be set up within the campus. The University on its part should review and augment campus security, including deployment of adequate personnel, installation of functional CCTV cameras, proper illumination of vulnerable areas and strengthen entry-point checks of bags and vehicles, Justice Panigrahi ordered.
The court issued the directions while quashing criminal proceedings arising out of a CDA Phase-II police station case pending before the JMFC-I, Cuttack, after the parties reached an amicable settlement. The case had arisen out of a complaint lodged on September 17, 2023, by a fourth-year student of NLUO, alleging that three persons in a car forcibly detained him and his friend near Naraj barrage, abused them and made sexually offensive remarks. An attempt to abduct the complainant was also alleged.
Justice Panigrahi further directed the police to prevent supply of alcohol and narcotic substances and ensure that no anti-social elements congregate near the campus.
The judge in the February 12 order said, “Before parting with the case, this court is constrained to observe, with a sense of concern, that there have been recurring and disturbing incidents reported in and around the campus of National Law University Odisha, Cuttack.”