The court of Additional Sessions Judge Anita Daheria Wednesday exonerated Soni Sori, her husband Anil Potame and all other accused in the case of attack on Congress leader Awadhesh Gautam for the want of evidence.
Notably, the house of Congress leader Awadhesh Gautam was attacked by Maoist insurgents at Nakulnar village on July 8, 2010. In the case, police had made 15 accused including suspended in-charge of Sameli Ashram Soni Sori and her husband Anil Potame. In the attack, two persons Dharmendra Singh and Sanjay Singh were killed while Gautam’s bodyguard David Toppo and son Abhijit Singh were injured. However, Gautam himself managed to escape from the house.
Besides Soni Sori and her husband, other accused in the case were Santu Mandawi, Harish Podiyami, Podiyami Handa, Sundruram Kunjam, Ramuram Bhaskar, lalaram Kunjam, Raju Kadti, Vijay Sori, Sitaram Kadti, Uike Podiya, Bhima Kunjam and Kishor Kumar Kashyap.
Police had filed case against them under Explosive Materials Act, but even after more than two years’ trial the execution failed to prove any charge and finally the court of additional sessions judge exonerated all the accused for the want of evidences against them.
Out of the 6 case filed against Soni Sori by the police, she has been exonerated in five case whereas decision is yet to come in the infamous Essar ‘protection money’ case in which 4 persons – Soni Sori, lingaram Kodopi, contractor BK lala and Essar General Manager DVCS Verma were accused. Out of the four, Soni Sori and lingaram Kodopi are lodged in Jagdalpur Central Jail where as B K lala and Essar GM Verma are out on bail. After the exoneration in this case chances of bail to Soni Sori and lingaram in Essar note for Naxal case has increased.