Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jul 4:

The much talked about case pertaining to alleged sexual exploitation of a minor girl by Odisha comedy Tattwa Prakash Satpathy aka Papu Pom Pom today took a new turn with the minor’s father submitting an affidavit with the District and Sessions Court Khordha that they were not interested in taking the matter further since they have amicably settled the matter among themselves.

papu pom pom

This was informed by Babita Kar, secretary Friends Foundation to reporters here. She has, however, said that the court has not accepted the settlement. She demanded that the settlement should be made public.

However, the minor girl’s father was not available for his comments on the matter.

“Her father today filed an affidavit in the court that we do not want to further proceed in this case since both parties have settled the matter the amicably. He has submitted an affidavit in this matter. We should know what kind of compromise has been reached. In cases, wherein abuse of minor girl is involved no such compromise can take place. Therefore it has not been accepted by the court,” said Kar speaking to reporters.

It may be recalled here that Papu Pom Pom bail application could not be taken up for hearing by the District and Sessions Court Khordha on June 30-the day he was arrested since the police had not submitted the case diary, the public prosecutor was absent and the date for the hearing was fixed for today.

While Papu’s bail plea was taken up for hearing today, the minor girl’s father submitted an affidavit to the court that they were not in favour of taking the case further since both parties have settled the matter amicably between themselves.

However, this affidavit was not submitted through the public prosecutor but through another lawyer. The judge is learnt to have told the public prosecutor that the victim’s father had no locus standi to do so, sources said.

Moreover, hearing on Papu Pom Pom’s bail plea could not take place even today as the police failed to submit its case diary in the matter with the court. The court deferred the hearing on the bail plea to July 11.

Papu has been charged by the Commissionerate Police under Sec 354 (A), 506, 509 of IPC and Sec 8, 12 and 17 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a report filed by a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member.