Date:14/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101459371000.htm

National

Court to hear plea for CBI probe into nun’s rape

J. Venkatesan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on October 17 an application from Archbishop of Cuttack Raphael Cheenath for a CBI probe into the rape of a nun at K. Nuagaon village during violence in Orissa’s Kandhamal district on August 25.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan is hearing the writ petition for a CBI probe into the rape and other violent incidents in the district. The State filed a reply stating a judicial probe had already been ordered.

As a result, the court adjourned the proceedings on September 11. On Monday, senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the Archbishop, told a Bench consisting of Justices Balakrishnan, P. Sathasivam and Aftab Alam that a fresh application was being filed for a CBI probe into the rape and requested early hearing. The Bench fixed it for October 17.

The application said the State of Orissa did nothing for more than 39 days since the lodging of the first information report on the nun’s case. The police did not help her when she was raped and paraded naked.

Pointing out that no probe was held into the brutal incident, the application requested that the investigation and prosecution of this case be handed over to the CBI “as police personnel are involved and no action has so far been taken against them.”

The application submitted that after September 11, the situation became worse. “In the Phulbani relief camp, there were initially 500 victims,” and the number has “now been reduced to 350.” The victims “fear going back to their villages since the communal elements are threatening them. In the Kongamandi relief camp, there are no adequate tents and there are over 4,500 victims at present and the children are not being provided proper care and food.”

“In Daringbadi, there are two relief camps consisting of 1,000 victims. Of the 14 relief camps started by the State government in Kandhamal district, the camps at Raikia and K. Nuagaon have been deliberately closed by the State government.”

Taking into consideration the present situation, the application sought a CBI probe into the rape and a direction to the State of Orissa to pay as an interim measure Rs.60,000 for every fully damaged house and Rs.25,000 for every partially damaged house, Rs.5,50,000 to the families of persons killed in the violence and to compensate the petitioner a sum of Rs. 3 crore for the demolition of churches and destruction of property.

In Coimbatore jail

Coimbatore Staff Reporter writes:

The three accused, secured by the Orissa police in connection with the rape of the nun, were lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison on Monday.

The three arrested from a village in Palakkad district of Kerala, were brought to the Coimbatore airport on Monday en route to Bhubaneswar. But, for lack of prior clearance for taking the accused on a scheduled aircraft along with regular passengers, the police were denied permission.

The police then lodged the accused in the Central Prison on a prisoner transit warrant. Efforts were on to get clearance from the Aviation Ministry to fly the accused.