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New Delhi: The National Commission for Scheduled Catses probing the case of alleged casteist remark of BJD vice president and Health Minister Damodar Rout on Thursday asked Odisha Chief Secretary BK Patnaik and DGP Prakash Mishra to expedite the case which is currently pending in Orissa High Court.
Commission chairman PL Punia, while asking the two top officials of the state to do so, said the bail petition of Rout should be rejected in the High Court. Rout, who has been committing same offences repeatedly has no right to continue as a minister, the commission chairman said, adding he will write to the chief minister of Odisha in this regard.
“He (Rout) is a habitual offender and there is no right for such an offender to remain in the council of minister. I will request to the Chief Minister to consider the case,” Punia said.
Responding to the Commission’s statement, Minister Damodar Rout threatened to file a defamation case against commission chairman.
“The matter is sub-judice now in the Orissa High Court. I don't think Punia is above the High Court. He should be careful by passing this remark. I will drag him under defamation,” Rout said.
Rout had allegedly made anti dalit remarks at a public meeting near Kujang in Jagatsinghpur district in May 2010 against Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Jagatsingpur MLA Bishnu Charan Das and some government officials while he was the Minister of Agriculture.
