Two youths from Koraput’s Jeypore in Odisha, who languished in prison for one and a half years in neighbouring Chhattisgarh in a Maoist case, waged a legal battle for eight years to prove their innocence.
A court in the neighouring state pronounced them innocent and struck down the case against them as false, exposing the inefficiency of the police.
Their families are on cloud nine after both of them were found innocent.
As per reports, the youths identified as Niranjan Das and Durjyoti Mahakud of Jeypore were arrested by Jagdalpur Police on July 28, 2016, on charges of supplying explosives to Maoists.
Both of them were physically and mentally tortured while incarcerating in jail for some years and fighting a legal battle for several years. But they had not lost courage, and their determination finally won the battle.
On February 28, the Jagdalpur district and session’s court struck down the case against both of them as false and declared them innocent.
Though Niranjan has been absolved of the charges, his family has been shattered over the years. His wife and six-year-old son stayed away from him. The costs of the legal battle have left the family in financial difficulties.
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Meanwhile, Niranjan’s family has moved the High Court against the police officials who implicated him.
With tears in his eyes, Niranjan Das told the media, “Chhattisgarh Police implicated me in a false case. I had to run to court for eight years and was jailed for one and a half years. In all those years, all my family members were ill. After years, Jagdalpur court has absolved me of the charges.”
Satish Chandra Burma, Niranjan's counsel based in Chhattisgarh said, “A case was filed in the court. They did not commit any crime. The High Court held a hearing of the case and directed an SIT probe into it. The SIT looked into the matter and submitted its investigation report.”
The state government counsel Prasanna Chandra Mohapatra said,"The case had occurred in 2016 and his family filed a case with Kotapad Police that the Chhattisgarh Police arrested their ward without any reason.”