Serve out life term, HC tells 3 convicts on bail for 18 years now

CUTTACK: The Orissa high court has dismissed an appeal by three murder convicts released on bail 18 years ago and directed them to surrender and serve out their life sentences.
An additional sessions judge in Talcher had sentenced Harsha Behera, Sarata Behera and Prakash Sahu to life imprisonment on August 26, 2000, for murdering one Bimbadhar Behera in Odisha’s Angul district in April 1998. The trio challenged the trial court verdict in 2000. They were released on bail on April 3, 2004, pending their criminal appeal.
Dismissing their appeal, a two-judge bench on Monday upheld the trial court verdict and ordered that if the trio failed to surrender by September 20, police should take them into custody to serve out the remainder of their sentence.