JHARSUGUDA: The Additional Sessions Judge Court, Jharsuguda rejected the Crime Branch’s plea for comprehensive psychological analysis of Gopal Krishna Das on the grounds that the accused has no mental illness.
In its order on March 3, the court stated that according to the four-member medical board constituted to make a psychological analysis of accused Gopal, he is not suffering from any mental illness. The medical board was set up as per the February 4 order of the Directorate of Medical Education and Training, Odisha.
The board’s report maintained that Gopal, who gunned down minister Naba Kishore Das on January 28, is conscious, alert, cooperative and communicative and he is well groomed with eye to eye contact. “The mood and affect was appropriate to the situation, the speech was relevant, coherent and goal directed,” said the order citing the report.
The report maintained that Gopal has average intelligence while his abstract thinking is intact and insight is also present. The court order further said as per the observation made by the medical board, it is nowhere found that the accused is suffering from any mental illness.
Remand advocate Harishankar Agrawal said, “The CB has already secured the maximum period of remand of the accused. It had asked for an additional three weeks of custody which was rejected by the court.”