Vikash Sharma

Cuttack: Almost 32 years after granting bail, the Orissa High Court on Monday awarded one-year jail term for two septuagenarian police officials in connection with a custodial death case.

The police officials- Pravat Chandra Mohanty (76) and PK Choudhury (75) were posted as inspector and senior sub-inspector, respectively when one Kashinath Nayak allegedly died in custody at Purighat Police station in Cuttack in the year 1985.

As per reports, the police had earlier picked Kashinath Nayak and one Kushia Jena in connection with a case. Though Kashinath was detained, police had released Kushia Jena.

It was then alleged that Kashinath was brutally assaulted inside the police station and he died on the way to hospital. Kashinath's family members had alleged that he died due to torture in police station.

Later, the then Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) had handed over the investigation of the case to Crime Branch. The investigating agency had submitted a charge-sheet against Mohanty and Choudhury on July 7, 1985.

Both Mohanty and Choudhury were convicted for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and were sentenced to undergo imprisonment for five years and eight years respectively by a lower court. However, both had filed criminal appeals in the High Court and were released on bail on September 1, 1988.

Sources said a single Judge bench of the Orissa High Court acquitted both the police officers of the charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and reduced the maximum sentence of three years rigorous imprisonment to one year simple imprisonment, taking their age into consideration.

The Court has also directed the two to surrender before the trial court within two weeks. Besides, the Court has directed Odisha government to pay compensation of Rs 3 lakh in favour of the legal representative(s) of the deceased within a period of one month.

(Edited By Pradeep Singh)

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