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Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough, CBI has arrested Subrat Sahu alias Kalia in the case where videos showing two women being gang-raped by men, who even smiled for the camera, were doing rounds on WhatsApp. The agency today produced Sahu before a court here and took him on three-day transit remand.
CBI sleuths also conducted raids at Sahu’s and his relatives’ houses at VSS Nagar and Rasulgarh areas here today and seized pen-drives, CDs and other incriminating materials. Notably, Sahu was arrested by the Central probe agency yesterday.
The Supreme Court had last week, while observing that videos were "shocking and scary", handed over probe to the CBI. It had even directed Odisha's chief secretary to be present in the court on April 10 for failure of the State in responding to the notice issued, and a fine subsequently imposed, in connection with the case.
"Something is wrong with Odisha," observed the social justice bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit when counsel for the State did not respond when called by the court last Friday.
The apex court on February 27, while directing the CBI to investigate the rape video sent to chief justice of India H.L. Dattu by Hyderabad-based NGO ‘Prajwala’ in a pen-drive along with a letter had issued notice to the Central, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana and Delhi governments.
The court had also imposed a Rs 50,000 fine on Odisha after it failed to respond to the notice issued by the court and was not present in the court during the case's previous hearing on March 13. Odisha on Friday earned the ire of the court for its repeat act of not being present in the court through its counsel when the case was called out for hearing.
The court's March 13 order had said: "We must express our anguish that in spite of service, there is no appearance on behalf of the State of Odisha despite the fact that the case is of considerable importance. Due to non-appearance on behalf of the State of Odisha, we impose cost of Rs 50,000 to be paid by the state of Odisha to the petitioner within one week from today."
