Decry Govt apathy to appoint lawyer for them
What could be more pathetic for hapless parents of the Puri blind girl rape victim than not being able to depose them before a trail court here, when the case was being taken upIJ
The parents failed to make it to the hearing scheduled on January 6 as they could not hire a lawyer to fight their case due to acute poverty.Despite their repeated representations to the Government to arrange a lawyer for them, they did not get the facility.
The Puri District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge had summoned the parents of the victim during a trial in the much hyped Puri-Konark marine drive minor blind girl rape case to depose them before it.
But the beleaguered parents informed the court that they could not attend the hearing as they did not possess the means to hire a lawyer to face the accused and approached the court to appoint an efficient lawyer for them instead.
“Six months have already been elapsed since the rape and murder of my minor blind daughter took place, but we are yet to get justice. Soon after the incident, the Government had announced a Crime Branch investigation into the matter, besides promising to engage a capable lawyer. But the promises went hollow,” said victim’s father Gouranga Patra.
He also stated that if the Government did not engage an efficient lawyer, they would not participate in the court proceedings.