While the State Government has filed its counter in response to one of the petitions seeking a CBI inquiry into the sensational Kunduli gangrape and subsequent suicide of the victim, the Orissa High Court on Thursday asked the Government also to file its counter by May 10 to the other similar petition taken up by the court for an analogous hearing. The Bench headed by Chief Justice Vineet Saran posted the matter to be heard again on May 15.
From a batch of pleas having similar prayer, the HC has picked up two petitions, one filed by the victim’s brother Bhagaban Chhati and the other by former lok Sabha member Kharavela Swain, for adjudication. The Government has only filed counters to the petition filed by Bhagaban in which the Government has urged the court to dismiss the petition as the entire incident is now being inquired into by a Judicial Commission headed by a District Judge.
The Government in its counter has also stated that neither the Koraput District Headquarters Hospital, where the victim was first taken for a medical examination and treatment, nor the State Forensic Science laboratory (SFSl) could gather any evidence showing the 17-year-old girl was raped, informed Additional Government Advocate Janmejaya Katakia. He further stated that the findings of the SFSl have also been endorsed by the CFSl, Kolkata.
The matter pertains to an alleged rape of the dalit girl on October 10, 2017 apparently by four security personnel in Kunduli jungle near Musaguda in Koraput district. Alleging torture and harassment by police, the girl committed suicide on January 22.
Swain in his plea has sought a CBI probe to find out under what circumstances the victim committed suicide after nearly 100 days of her bringing the rape allegations against the security personnel.
Bhagaban in his plea has alleged that the State police completely thwarted the investigations by destroying and tampering with the medical evidences. He has also alleged that several Government officials had driven her sister to committing suicide.