Twist in Pitabas Panda Murder Case; Confused “Conspiracy-Organised “(?) 14, accused Dropped

Law Speaking ;Initial Charge Sheet than Supplementary Charge

 Sheet  at last Final Chrage Sheet, ,Deepak Patnaik,,Advocate

Desk Odishabarta

Brahmapur, July 1: A major development has emerged in the sensational murder case of Berhampur-based advocate Pitabas Panda, with police dropping the murder charge against 14 accused in the second supplementary charge sheet filed before the court.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the police submitted statements of 27 new witnesses along with additional statements of previously examined witnesses to strengthen the prosecution’s case.

The supplementary charge sheet reveals that the charge under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (murder) has been withdrawn against former MLA Bikram Kumar Panda, who was earlier projected as one of the principal accused in the case.

The murder charge has also been dropped against 13 others, including former Mayor Shiva Shankar Das, corporator Malay Bishoyi, BJD leader Madan Dalai, Simanchal Nayak, Bipin Swain, Jogendra Rout, Kalucharan Behera, Rajendra Sahu, Shishupal Kumar Paswan, Kundan Paswan, Shunya Chandra Das, Sunil Hota, and Uma Bishoyi.

The initial charge sheet had invoked the murder charge against all the accused. However, following further investigation, police omitted the murder charge against these 14 individuals while filing the second supplementary charge sheet.

The murder charge continues to remain against the two alleged shooters, Kurupati Bhuyan and Chishna Pradhan, who are accused of fatally shooting advocate Pitabas Panda. However, all the accused continue to face charges under Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to organised crime.

Counsel for the accused, Advocate Deepak Pattnaik, stated that police removed the murder charge against the 14 accused after completing further investigation and that the matter is now pending before the court.

Another defence lawyer pointed out that although the murder charge has been withdrawn against the 14 accused, they continue to face prosecution under the organised crime provisions of the BNS, which prescribe stringent punishment comparable to that for murder in certain circumstances.

Meanwhile, police have submitted a pen drive containing allegedly objectionable photographs reportedly linked to Bikram Panda before the court. The defence has alleged that copies of the digital evidence have not yet been supplied to the accused.

Earlier, police had filed a 390-page final charge sheet in the murder case of advocate Pitabas Panda, naming 16 accused, including former MLA Bikram Panda and former Mayor Shiva Shankar Das. The case includes allegations of murder, criminal conspiracy, and organised crime, nearly nine months after the incident.

Legal Perspective

Commenting on the development, Advocate Deepak Pattnaik observed that criminal investigations generally progress through an initial charge sheet, followed by one or more supplementary charge sheets, before culminating in a final charge sheet, depending on the evidence collected during the course of the investigation.

The latest development has raised legal questions over the prosecution’s original theory of conspiracy. While the murder charge has now been dropped against 14 accused, the organised crime charge remains, leaving it to the court to determine whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain the prosecution’s case.