Orissa Police: Rourkela police-magistrate brawl probe begins

Cuttack, Aug 21 (PTI) Justice A S Naidu Commission of enquiry probing into the police-magistrate row of Rourkela has decided to visit Rourkela on September 3 for an on the spot assessment of the situation that led to the unsavory incident of April 2 in which a local judicial magistrate was allegedly assaulted by a police inspector.���������Appearing before the Commission which held its first sitting yesterday, former Panposh Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Arun Kumar Patnaik made an application urging that he may be allowed to represent his case through his counsel.Senior advocate of Orissa High Court Jayant Das would conduct the case on behalf of the magistrate as his application was allowed by the Commission.��������Similarly, counsel of other parties in the case, including the counsel of Orissa Police Association and Rourkela Bar Association also registered their presence before the Commission on the day.��������It may be recalled here that�the magistrate�was allegedly assaulted by Uditnagar police inspector Sadananda Pujari on the night of April 2 which evoked statewide protest by lawyers, including that of the High Court here thereby paralysing judicial works in the State for over a week. � While two FIRs were filed in Uditnagar police station of Rourkela, each against the police inspector and the judicial magistrate and a PIL was filed in Orissa High Court, State government had announced a judicial commission of enquiry after suspending the erring police inspector and asking the then�Rourkela�SP Diptesh Patnaik to go on leave.Subsequently retired judge of Orissa High Court Justice Naidu was appointed to head the panel and the Commission was asked to submit its report within three months.The State government also made a proposal for sanction of an advance of Rs 20 lakh from Orissa contingency fund for the Commission to conduct its probe.