Naba Das Murder: Court In Odisha’s Jharsuguda Rejects Discharge Plea Of Accused Gopal Das

Jharsuguda: The Additional District Judge (ADJ) in Odisha’s Jharsuguda on Thursday rejected the discharge petition of suspended ASI Gopal Das, the lone accused in the murder of former Health Minister Naba Das.

Gopal had filed the discharge petition in the court pleading his innocence in the case. He was brought from Choudwar jail in Cuttack district, where he is lodged at present, to the court in Jharsuguda amid tight security.

After hearing the petition and examining the document, the Additional District Judge rejected it, said public prosecutor Gangadhar Gadnayak.

He further said the court will start hearing the murder case from October 5. The charges against the accused, a former Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of police, have already been framed. The Crime Branch had filed the preliminary chargesheet on May 26.

It may be noted that Gopal had allegedly fired at then minister Naba Das from his service revolver while the latter was going to attend a public meeting Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda district on January 29. Though Das was rushed in a helicopter to a hospital in Bhubaneswar, he succumbed during treatment.