Naba Das Murder: Court Rejects CB Plea For Further Mental Evaluation Of Accused Gopal

Bhubaneswar: The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) at Jharsuguda on Monday rejected the petition of Crime Branch for further mental evaluation of Gopal Das, the accused in murder of minister Naba Kishore Das.

During investigation into the sensational murder case, the Crime Branch came to know that the accused had a prolonged history of mental illness. A Special Medical Board consisting of four psychiatric experts was constituted to conduct the mental condition of Gopal.

The Board examined him and evaluated his psychological/mental condition at Jharsuguda. After carrying out the analysis of the evaluation, the Board opined that there is a need to have a detailed examination of the accused to come to a definite conclusion about his mental health.

In order to conduct further comprehensive psychological/psychometrical/mental evaluation of Gopal at NIMHANS, Bangalore in Karnataka, the Crime Branch filed a petition in the JMFC-1, Jharsuguda on February 20 in accordance with the advice of the medical board. After hearing the petition, the JMFC court rejected the petition.

The Crime Branch, in a release, said its legal cell will examine the court order and if required, it will move the higher court to challenge it.