Final summons to absentee nun

Final summons to absentee nun


CUTTACK: Refusing to give any more relief to the alleged Kandhamal rape victim nun, who has been staying away from the trial proceedings, the District and Sessions Judge, Cuttack, today issued final summons fixing dates of October 5 or 6 for her deposition.


The nun had filed a petition praying for deferment of her deposition in the case which was rejected by the Judge BK Mishra in view of the Orissa High Court's observations that the trial can neither be stayed nor deferred at this stage.

The victim is yet to testify in the case ever since the trial started at Baliguda court in Kandhamal district and later shifted to Cuttack on March 20. The trial had been shifted to Cuttack by the Orissa High Court on the basis of her petition where she had expressed her inability to go to Kandhamal due to the trauma as well as life risks there.

However, she has still not attended the proceedings here on grounds of ill health despite three summons issued by the trial court. However, she took part in the Test Identification (TI) parade at Cuttack Central Jail at Choudwar in between.

The single judge Bench of the Orissa High Court comprising Justice BK Nayak on September 22 had rejected her petition seeking deferment of her deposition and shifting other cases from Kandhamal to Cuttack so that she could testify on a single day. The Court had allowed her to file a petition in the trial court detailing her grievances.

The court of Judge Mishra today completed the testification of Latika Devi, a staffer of Jana Vikash Kendra at K Nuagaon, the place of occurrence of the alleged gang rape. Latika was cross examined by defence counsel S Mohapatra during the proceedings that were held incamera.


http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/final-summons-to-absentee-nun/209823.html