Orissa HC Takes Up Lawyer’s Decade-Old Petition Against False Imprisonment, Seeks Govt Reply

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to submit a detailed reply to a petition filed 10 years back seeking compensation for false imprisonment.

The petition, filed by lawyer Pratima Das of Choudwar on November 16, 2011, stated that she was implicated in a criminal case registered with Raghunathpur police station in Jagatsinghpur district and arrested on August 12, 2008 for her alleged links with the Maoists.

Charged with sedition, she was remanded to jail custody by the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate. While Pratima was in Alipingal jail, Jamankira police station in Sambalpur district registered another criminal case against her.

The lawyer was in jail custody for two years from August 13, 2008 to November 17, 2010 when she was acquitted of the charges in both cases. The prosecution could not prove her involvement in any of the alleged offences and she was acquitted, said the petitioner’s advocate PK Jena, according to a TNIE report.

Hearing the petition, a division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice AK Mohapatra on Tuesday directed the Home Secretary to file a detailed reply to the petition within four weeks and fixed January 19 for next hearing.

Additional government advocate Janmejaya Katikia, who appeared for the Secretary of Home department, started with oral submissions. But the bench wanted an affidavit with a para wise reply to the petition which sought compensation for the alleged failure of the State to protect her life, liberty and livelihood.

Pratima in her petition has sought legal action against the police officials responsible for creating false evidence to implicate her in two cases and sought Rs 20 lakh as compensation for false imprisonment of more than two years.