Hindu politician convicted for anti-Christian violence in Orissa released on bail
(July 10, 2010) The High Court of eastern India’s Orissa state has released on bail
Manoj Pradhan, a Hindu fundamentalist, after his lawyers launched an appeal. A prominent
figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Pradhan is blamed for a number of murders
and acts of vandalism during the anti-Christian violence of 2008. The court’s ruling
on Wednesday overturned a June 29 decision by a lower court in Phulbani, which sentenced
Pradhan to seven years in prison and fined him Rs 5,000. “It is a mockery of the
justice system,” said Fr Dibyasingh Parichha, spokesman and lawyer for the Diocese
of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar. “One court convicts him and another one grants him bail.”
For the clergyman, this decision will undermine the peace process in Kandhamal District,
which was the epicentre of the anti-Christian violence in the state. Prior to this
conviction, Pradhan, who is a BJP MLA, was acquitted on seven counts, including three
for murder. He is accused of involvement in seven murders and seven fire bombings
against Christians. Thanks to the High Court’s decision, he will be able to wait for
the next legal proceeding against him as a free man.