Balasore: Four accused in the Soumyashree Bishi self-immolation case, currently lodged in jail, were produced before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Balasore Wednesday. The accused — HoD Sameer Sahu, former students’ union president Dilip Ghosh, student Jyotiprakash Biswal, and student leader Shubhra Sambit Nayak — appeared before the court in connection with the death of the Fakir Mohan Autonomous College Integrated B.Ed. student. SDJM Kishore Kumar Nath informed the accused that the case had been transferred to the District and Sessions Court for speedy trial.
According to Public Prosecutor Bijay Kumar Das, the Crime Branch has already submitted the charge sheet in the case. “The case was committed to the higher court today as it falls under the under-trial process (UTP).
The defence counsel had also filed a petition seeking a speedy trial before the District and Sessions Court,” Das said. Advocate Guru Prasad Behera, who is representing former students’ union president Dilip Ghosh, said the lower court transferred the case to the District and Sessions Court to ensure faster proceedings. “The Crime Branch has submitted around 840 pages of documents to each of the accused. The Orissa High Court has already heard the bail plea in detail, and the judgment has been reserved,” Behera added.
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According to the case records, Soumyashree had allegedly faced harassment from department head Sameer Sahu. Unable to bear the pressure, she attempted self-immolation July 12. She succumbed to her injuries two days later while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar July 14.
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