Odisha court reserves verdict in Patnagarh wedding gift blast case
Odisha court reserves verdict in Patnagarh wedding gift blast case
Bhubaneswar, A court in Odisha's Bolangir district on Wednesday completed hearing in the 2018 Patnagarh wedding gift blast case.
The Patnagarh Additional District Judge court reserved the judgment which is expected to be pronounced on May 28, a government advocate said.
Two persons, including the groom, were killed in the blast which occurred when the groom was opening a gift packet on February 23, 2018, a day after his wedding reception. The incident sparked an outrage across the state. The case was being investigated by the Crime Branch of Odisha Police.
"We have duly proved all evidence, collected against the accused Punjilal Meher during the investigation, before the court. We have not left any missing link in proving the evidence," government counsel Chittaranjan Kanungo said.
He said the arguments were based on circumstantial evidence as no direct evidence was there in this case.
Pramod Mishra, the counsel for the accused, said the prosecution had started the arguments in the final phase of the case on May 9 and the trial was completed during the day.
The prosecution submitted an argument against the accused on the basis of the charge sheet submitted by the Crime Branch, whereas the defense pointed out the breaking of chains in the circumstances and faults in the investigation, he said.
"We have sufficient evidence to prove Punjilal innocent while the Crime Branch has failed to submit required documents to convict him. We have submitted all these details point wise before the court during the arguments," Mishra said.
The defense submitted its reply and now the court will pronounce its verdict, the advocate said.
Soumya Sekhar, a man in his mid-twenties, and his 85-year-old grandmother were killed, while his wife, Seema Sahoo, sustained critical injuries when a parcel bomb disguised as a wedding gift exploded at their Patnagarh home in Bolangir district on February 23, 2018. The blast had taken place when the groom opened a gift pack.
Following a request by the new bride and her family, the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered the Crime Branch to probe into the incident.
The Crime Branch took over the investigation on March 23, 2018 and arrested Meher in April, 2018. He is currently lodged in the Patnagarh sub-jail.
The Crime Branch, in its charge sheet, has accused Punjilal Meher, an English lecturer at Jyoti Vikas College where the victim Soumya Sekhar's mother Sanjukta Sahu is the principal. The investigating agency has said that revenge was the motive behind the crime.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
