Lawyer jailed illegally: Court notice

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday issued notice to the State Government on the alleged illegal incarceration of Cuttack-based lawyer Pratima Das on ‘false’ charges of sedition and links with Maoists.    A Division Bench of Chief Justice V Gopalagowda and Justice BN Mohapatra has directed the Home Secretary, DIGs of Central and Berhampur ranges, the then sub-inspector of Raghunathpur Police Station Pradeep Kumar Panda, Inspector Sanjay Kumar and two other police officers to file their responses to the petition filed by Das. She had filed the petition claiming compensation for her illegal detention in jail custody for two years three months and five days before she was acquitted by the trial court. She has charged the police with curtailing her liberty.  According to the petitioner, she was enrolled as an advocate in 2007. In 2008, she was invited to attend a meeting which was being held at Nagbhusan Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on the problems of evictees of industrialisation. Following that she had accompanied one American research scholar David Pugh to Kalinga Nagar on his request.  While returning, police tried to stop their vehicle, but the driver did not stop as he did not possess a valid driving licence. Police subsequently arrested her and she was produced before the sub- divisional judicial magistrate, Jagatsinghpur, on August 13, 2008. With sedition charges slapped against her, she was also implicated in another criminal case.  Adjudicating both the cases, additional sessions judge, fast-track court, Jagatsinghpur, and additional sessions judge, Kuchinda, acquitted her in 2010 as the prosecution failed to establish the charges.  She stated that although she had written a letter to Government seeking action against guilty officials and claimed compensation of ` 20 lakh, no step was taken. She submitted that due to the action of the opposite parties her liberty had been infringed and as such she is entitled for compensation.