New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) will Tuesday hear a petition filed by Archbishop John Baruwa seeking a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into several cases registered in the aftermath of Kandhamal riots.
A three-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Hrishikesh Roy will hear the petition.
Significantly, Petitioner Archbishop John Baruwa urged the apex court to direct the state government to form an SIT headed by a senior police officer with the exclusive mandate of comprehensively looking into 315 cases in which no offence was found to be made out. He pleaded for the direction to the state government to carry out further investigation in these cases.
He also prayed the court to direct Odisha government to file revision petitions in 266 acquittal cases till May 2020. The petitioner also sought early disposal of cases pending for over 10 years now.
The petitioner submitted that contrary to the SC’s directions, the state did not look into these 315 cases and also did not take up the 266 cases of acquittal disobeying the August 2016 judgement of the Supreme Court.
He further submitted to the court that out of 284 acquittal cases, the state has filed only 18 revision petitions.
Notably, at least three persons were killed and over 100 churches and church institutions, including convents and hostels, about 700 houses and other structures were burnt in the riots between December 24 and 27, 2007.
Similarly, 39 Christians were killed and over 395 churches vandalised, 600 villages ransacked, over 5,600 houses looted and over 54,000 people were left homeless in the August 2008 riots in Khandhamal district which allegedly broke out after the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.