Puttur: RSS, BJP leader granted bail in rape case of minor Dalit girl
Puttur: The RSS, BJP leader Kudkadi Narayana Rai, who had recently been arrested under the POCSO and Dalit Violence (Prevention of Atrocities) Act - in the rape of a minor Dalit girl from Badagannur village, which resulted in her pregnancy and subsequent birthing of a child- was granted conditional bail by the fifth additional District sessions court in Puttur.
A case had been registered against Narayana Rai for repeatedly raping a Dalit girl who was working as a domestic help in his residence which resulted in her pregnancy and birthing a child. The police had filed a case against Narayana Rai based on a statement made by the victim to a judge. Amid this, the fifth additional District Sessions Court at Puttur has dismissed the application for the accused's anticipatory bail.
Earlier in the case, a relative of the victim named Satish had been arrested by police. He had also been sentenced to judicial custody.
But, Dalit organizations staged a protest in front of the Sampya police station demanding the arrest of Narayana Rai, the real accused in the case. Setting a deadline for the arrest of the accused, the protesters had issued a warning of laying siege outside the DYSP’s office.
Amid this, Narayana Rai had surrendered to the court on the background of legal complications in the Dalit Violence Prevention Act leading to the dismissal of his anticipatory bail.
Narayana Rai, who surrendered to the court, was taken into custody by the police for further proceedings. At the same time, he was admitted to the Puttur Government Hospital during police custody as his health deteriorated. Subsequently, the fifth additional District Sessions Court of Puttur had rejected the application for Narayana Rai's bail and sentenced him to judicial custody.
The police had filed an indictment in connection with the case after the accused Narayana Rai's bail application was dismissed. Receiving the second bail application seeking bail, the Fifth Additional District Sessions Court granted conditional bail to accused Narayana Rai.
Advocate Mahesh Kaje represented the accused and presented arguments on behalf of the accused, it is learned.
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Heatwave scorches Odisha, Jharsuguda reels under 43.6 degrees C
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Heatwave conditions scorched Odisha on Tuesday, with the IMD forecasting that hot and humid conditions would continue in parts of the state.
The IMD’s Bhubaneswar centre said Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati districts were likely to experience hot and humid conditions on April 22.
It also predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds in parts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada and Koraput, among others.
On Tuesday, 18 places across Odisha recorded maximum temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or above. The industrial town of Jharsuguda was the hottest in the state at 43.6 degrees Celsius.
Sambalpur and Titlagarh recorded 42.5 degrees Celsius each, followed by Hirakud at 42.4 degrees, Bolangir at 42.2 degrees and Angul at 42.1 degrees.
The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 37.9 degrees Celsius and 38.8 degrees Celsius, respectively, with relative humidity levels remaining above 70 per cent.
Meanwhile, the state government directed all district education officers to conduct a Summer Learning Programme for students till class 8 in government schools during the summer vacation.
Officials said students would be given practice assignments along with audio-visual learning content.
Subject-wise assignment sheets have been prepared, while related digital material will be shared through school parents' WhatsApp groups using a chatbot system, they said.
