Court frees fifty two accused in Kandhamal riots

Just like the case of BJP legislator Manoj Pradhan, many more accused in the Kandhamal riot cases are acquitted for lack of evidence.

According to an official from the riot-hit district, 52 people were Saturday freed after charges against them could not be proved.

The acquittal was confirmed to media by public prosecutor PK Patra.

The accused were freed in eight cases - one of arson and other for torching a police outpost in Baladapada on August 26, 2008.

Of the two fast track courts, Fast Track Court-I acquitted 17 persons and Fast Track Court-II acquitted the rest 35.

The fifty accused were arrested in the aftermath of VHP leader Laxmananda's murder on August 23, 2008. The riots that followed the killing displaced thousands of Christians in the district.

The failure of justice in the trial cases came to spotlight last year with the repeated acquittals of BJP legislator Manoj Pradhan.

Pradhan was freed in five of the total fourteen cases, including charges of murder against him. In all the cases, Pradhan was acquitted for lack of evidence.

Recently, Archbishop of Orissa Raphael Cheenath had decried the failure of "law and justice" in such cases.

"Witnesses are being coerced, threatened, cajoled and sought to be bribed by murderers and arsonists facing trial," he said.

"We are deeply concerned the high rate of acquittals in the fast track courts. The victims filed 3,232 Complaints in the police stations of Kandhamal. Of these, the police registered cases in only 832 instances."

Cheenath pointed "only 89 persons have been convicted so far while as many as 251 have been acquitted and set free for want to witnesses against them."

The Archbishop strongly demanded transferring cases of politically powerful persons such as Manoj Pradhan, to outside Kandhamal, preferably Cuttack or Bhubaneswar.