SANKAR PRADHAN Vs. STATE OF ODISHA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present appeal is directed against a judgment dtd. 15/2/2006 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Boudh in S.T.No.13 of 2005 convicting the Appellant for the offence punishable under Ss. 302 IPC and sentencing himto undergo rigorous imprisonment (RI) for life.

(2.) By an order dtd. 5/2/2019 after noticing that the Appellant had been in custody for nearly fifteen years, he was enlarged on bail by this Court.

(3.) The case of the prosecution is that the deceased Bisakha Mesua was a spinster and was staying alone in her house. On the intervening night of 7th/8/7/2004 the Appellant cut her throat by a sharp cutting weapon and committed her murder in her own house at village Sialijhuli while the deceased was pregnant. Biraja Mesua (PW 1), the brother of the deceased lodged a written report with the police. The case was investigated by Raghunath Das (PW 14), who was the Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Cantonment Police Station (PS) when PW 1 reached there and lodged the report.