2010-07-09 12:50:57

Hindu in Orissa killing granted bail


(July 09, 2010) A pro-Hindu political party leader, sentenced to seven years’ jail for killing a Christian during the Orissa riots, was granted bail on July 7. The Orissa High Court released Manoj Pradhan and his accomplice Praful Malik on bail on condition that Pradhan would not tamper with evidence in other cases against him. The decision has deeply disappointed Kanaka Rekha Nayak, the murdered man’s widow. “It is an injustice to me,” she said. “If this is the justice system, I do not know what to say.” Her husband, Parikhit Nayak, was murdered on Aug. 27, 2008. The bail decision came after Pradhan, a BJP member and present MLA, challenged the judgment of a court which sentenced him on June 29 to seven years’ imprisonment in connection with the killing. Christians say they are disappointed with the court’s decision. Pradhan was originally sentenced to “rigorous life imprisonment” but the bail “has diluted” the punishment, said Father Ajay Singh, who directs Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese’s social services. Pradhan’s bail “is unfortunate” because it will “affect the peace building process” in Kandhamal, he said. However, Archbishop Raphael Cheenath says people should not lose heart. “The law will take its own course,” he said.







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