...
...
Next Story

Orissa HC orders issue of notice in decade-old false sedition case

Hearing a petition by lawyer-activist Pratima Das, who is seeking ₹20 lakh compensation for being falsely charged with sedition in 2008, the court expressed surprise that though the petition was filed in 2011, it was listed only twice for hearing in the last 10 years

Published on: Jul 26, 2021 02:13 PM IST
By Debabrata Mohanty
Prefer HTon Google
Advertisement

The Orissa high court directed the Odisha government on July 22 to provide the correct addresses of three police officers so they can be served notices regarding a case seeking compensation for false allegations of sedition. The order was uploaded on Saturday night.

Representational image.
Representational image.

Hearing a petition by lawyer-activist Pratima Das, who is seeking ₹20 lakh compensation for being falsely charged with sedition in 2008, a division bench of Orissa high court comprising chief justice S Muralidhar and justice BP Routray expressed surprise that although this petition was filed in 2011, it was listed only twice for hearing in the last 10 years--on February 23 and September 6, 2012. Since police officers were named in the case, the high court ordered that the state provide the correct addresses of the officers within four weeks.

Also Read | Offline classes in Odisha schools begin amid Covid containment norms

Das, 41, a resident of Choudwar, was arrested in August 2008 for her alleged links with Maoists in Odisha and was sent to Alipingala jail of Jagatsinghpur district. While she was in Alipingala jail, police implicated her in another criminal case registered at the Jamankira police station in Sambalpur district and charged her with sedition among other cases. She was chargesheeted in two cases under various grievous charges, including murder, dacoity and sedition. She remained in jail till November 17, 2010, till the courts acquitted her of all charges, including sedition.

“In neither of the two cases could the prosecution substantiate any of the charges against me, including the allegation of seditious activity. I was branded a Maoist. The charges led to massive personal and professional humiliation for me for two years, three months and five days. My family could never return to normal. Newspapers had a field day branding me as Maoist,” said Das, demanding legal action against all the seven officials.

RK Sharma, one of the seven officials named in the case, said he is yet to see the order and would be able to comment only after going through it.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty

Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.

Home/Cities/Others
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Hindustantimes wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe