CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed for issuing fresh notices in a 10-year-old petition seeking Rs 20 lakh compensation for illegal confinement following an arrest for alleged links with Maoists.
The court issued the direction on Thursday in the petition filed by lawyer Pratima Das, who was in jail for a total period of two years three months and four days till acquittal in two cases registered against her. While claiming compensation for ‘false imprisonment’ and ‘failure of the State to protect her life, liberty and livelihood’, the petition had also sought ‘legal action against the police officials responsible for the commission of creating false evidence to implicate in two cases’.
The court issued the direction after it observed that although the petition was filed in 2011, in the last 10 years it was listed only twice - on February 23, 2012, and September 6, 2012, for hearing. The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray said, “Since they were police officers, we direct the Home department to provide their correct present addresses to the counsel for the petitioner and to the Registry within four weeks”.
“The petitioner shall thereafter file the requisites for service of notice by registered post with AD returnable by November 16. List on November 16, 2021”, the bench specified in the order.
On February 23, 2012, notices were issued to the officials concerned including the Secretary of Home department and former SPs of Jagatsinghpur and Sambalpur districts.
According to the petition, police had arrested the lawyer in 2008 and implicated her in two criminal cases registered at the Raghunathpur police station in Jagatsinghpur and Jamankira police station in Sambalpur.
She faced trial in both cases and was in jail custody till acquittal on November 17, 2010. In both cases, the prosecution could not prove her involvement in any of the alleged offences.