Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police on Monday initiated disciplinary proceedings against Additional Superintendent of Police Mamata Sahoo over alleged gross negligence and procedural lapses during her tenure in Jajpur district.
The IG, Central Range, recommended departmental action after examining a draft memorandum, articles of charge and memo of evidence submitted by Jajpur SP. The IG found the material “well founded” and has forwarded the complete set of documents to the State Home Department and the Director General of Police for further necessary action under the Odisha Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1962.
Sahoo, then serving as DSP in the Investigation Unit for Crime against Women at Jajpur, had taken charge of a case registered at Jajpur Sadar police station, involving offences under the Indian Penal Code, the POCSO Act, the Information Technology Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. She arrested the accused on December 16, 2023, and produced him before the court the same day.
Despite the gravity of the charges, the investigation was not completed within the statutory 120-day period prescribed under Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The charge sheet was not filed even after 127 days of custody, allowing the accused to obtain default bail as a matter of right.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Court under the POCSO Act, Jajpur, noted that the investigation had remained incomplete beyond the mandatory deadline and directed the SP to take appropriate action against the investigating officer. The court observed that the failure had conferred an indefeasible right to bail on the accused.
The articles of charge describe the investigation as having been conducted in a perfunctory manner, amounting to gross negligence and dereliction of duty that violated the standards expected of a government servant.
Under the proposed disciplinary process, Sahoo has been instructed to submit her written statement of defence to the Home Department within 30 days of receipt. The officer has also been offered an opportunity for a personal hearing, with state authorities indicating that the disciplinary proceedings may proceed ex parte if she fails to respond within the stipulated time frame.
