18 Yrs After Granting Bail, Orissa HC Orders 3 Murder Convicts To Serve Life Sentence

Cuttack: More than 18 years after granting bail to three persons convicted in a murder case, the Orissa High Court has dismissed their criminal appeal and ordered them to serve life sentence.

The Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Talcher had convicted Harsha Behera, Sarata Behera and Prakash Sahu for the murder of Bimbadhar Behera of Durgpur village under Kaniha police station limits and sentenced them to life imprisonment on August 26, 2000.

Bimbadhar was appointed as a control dealer and received the official order to lift rations on April 22, 1998. But the accused persons murdered him in the intervening night of April 20/21, 1998, a day prior to the lifting of the ration.

The three convicts challenged the Trial Court verdict in the High Court in 2000 and were released on bail on April 3, 2004, pending their appeal.

The criminal appeal, which was pending so far, was taken up by the High Court on Monday. The High Court felt the Trial Court concluded that the prosecution had been able to prove the case against the accused beyond all reasonable doubt and proceeded to convict and sentence them to life imprisonment.

The two-judge bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Chittaranjan Dash said the Trial Court had not committed any error in convicting the Appellants and sentencing them to life imprisonment.