Nayagarh Minor Girl Murder Case: Orissa HC Directs SIT To File Charge-Sheet

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court on Thursday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the sexual assault and murder of a 5-year-old girl at Jadupur village in Nayagarh district, to file the charge-sheet in the case at the earliest.

The court observed that the probe agency should file the charge-sheet at the earliest as many days have elapsed since the case was filed.

On the other hand, petitioner Padmalaya Mohapatra, who has  filed a plea questioning the validity of the appointment of Arun Bothra as head of the SIT, today filed an affidavit mentioning there were differences in the versions made over the case by the Minister of State (Home) and the SIT.

It is worth mentioning that Minister of State (Home) Capt Divya Shankar Mishra had earlier informed the Odisha Assembly that the 5-year-old girl was not raped, but the SIT later said that she had been raped before being murdered. The probe team also had filed an affidavit in the High Court recently.

Mohapatra had earlier argued that Bothra, who is currently working as the chairperson of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), has no police powers to investigate the case. He should either be appointed as the investigating officer or be replaced, the petitioner had demanded.

The SIT which arrested the accused Saroj Sethy, a resident of Jadupur in Nayagarh district, had claimed during a press conference on Tuesday that the accused was addicted to child pornography and often watched such clips on his sister's mobile phone.

He had watched such a movie till late night on July 13, a day before committing the crime, SIT head Arun Bothra had said.