A day after Pipili MLA Pradeep Maharathy tendered his resignation from the State Cabinet for his comments over the acquittal verdict on the 2011-12 rape and murder case of a 19-year-old girl of Pipili, the State Crime Branch police here on Monday reiterated that they would challenge the lower court’s verdict in the High Court.
Briefing the media, Crime Branch ADG Santosh Upadhaya maintained that the prosecution has sufficient evidences in this case to ensure that the accused persons face conviction.
Refusing to comment over the lower court verdict, the senior cop said the case would be properly and effectively conducted in the High Court.
“We have already appointed a Special Public Prosecutor to conduct the sensitive case in the High Court,” the ADG said, adding that the Director of Public Prosecutor has already been moved in the matter to challenge the Bhubaneswar Additional District Sessions Court’s judgment.
The State Advocate General would also be consulted in the case, he said.
One Prashant Behera and his brother Sushant had been arrested in the Pipili case, but they were exonerated by the Bhubaneswar court last month observing that the prosecution (Crime Branch) failed to adduce clinching evidences against the accused during the trial.
The girl, who was allegedly raped in November 2011, died in June 2012 after remaining in vegetative state in hospital.