Pipili gang rape: HC breather for dismissed Odisha cop

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Jan 10:

Orissa High Court today upheld the Odisha Administrative Tribunal’s (OAT) verdict on dismissal of the then Pipili Inspector in-Charge (IIC) in connection with a gang rape incident.

Adjudicating over the case challenged by the state government, High Court upheld the decision of the Tribunal on the dismissal of Amulya Kumar Champatiray.

“The High Court has upheld the verdict of Tribunal. The HC clearly said that no government employee can be dismissed without initiating departmental proceedings,” Champatiray’s counsel Ashok Das said.

On January 23, 2013, the Tribunal had ruled in favour of Champatiray setting aside the government’s dismissal order. After three months of the verdict, the state government informed the Justice PK Mohanty Commission of Enquiry that it would challenge the decision in the High Court.

It may be mentioned here that Champatiray was sacked for allged inaction in the Pipili gang rape case. The dismissed cop reportedly admitted before the Commission, while deposing before it, that he had received the written complaint from the father of the Dalit victim on November 30, 2011, the day succeeding the crime. However, he had registered the case on January 9, 2012. The 19-year-old rape victim died in June 2012 after remaining in a coma for six months.