Sum Hospital fire: Trustee sent to jail in Odisha capital

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 20:

Manoj Nayak, trustee of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Charitable Trust which runs the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital where a fire mishap claimed 21 lives, was sent to Jharpada Jail in the Odisha capital after he was refused bail by the Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate Court here this evening.

On the other hand, the court granted Twin City Commissionerate Police to take Nayak on a two-day remand beginning tomorrow. The police had, however, moved the court to take Nayak on a three-day remand.

The court directed the police to produce Nayak before it on October 23 after the end of his two-day remand period.

Nayak was, however, sent to Jharpada Jail on judicial custody.

Nayak’s defence counsel S B Das told newsmen that his client’s bail plea was rejected by the court on technical grounds since SDJM Court has no jurisdiction to decide the matter as because 304 IPC is a section which can be tried by the Sessions Court and not by a Magistrate. Only on that ground the bail petition was rejected, he added.

Nayak was arrested today in the wee hours after he surrendered before Khandagiri police. The Commissionerate Police had issued lookout circulars against Nayak and his wife Saswati Das apprehending that they may leave the country since they remained incommunicado.