Orissa High Court relief for ex-students of MS Law University

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has issued orders to terminate criminal proceedings against five former students of Madhusudan Law College (now Madhusudan Law University) arising out of an FIR registered against them at Malgodown police station six years back.

“Considering the nature of the incident which originated from a college protest and since 2017, the damocles sword is hanging over the petitioners, who await for the trial to commence which has still eluded them and in the meantime, precious five years have gone by, out of which, the investigation unreasonably consumed more than two years just to round off the culprits, the court, in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, is of the humble view that criminal action, which is pending for the last six years and before court below since 2019 without any real progress, should be terminated in the interest of justice,” Justice RK Pattanaik said in his April 6 order, a copy of which was made available on Friday.

The five former students filed a petition seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings pending against them before a court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Cuttack in 2022, while challenging the chargesheet on the ground they were falsely implicated. While quashing the criminal proceedings, Justice Pattanaik ruled, “Such delay though may not be claimed unusual under normal circumstances but when pitted against the lives and career of the petitioners who are having high hopes and aspiration to grow and prosper, it is quite considerable and they cannot be allowed to face a life of uncertainty. Any further delay could result in persecution and hence, it is a fit case to bring an end to the proceeding to advance the cause of justice”.

Police had registered the FIR on the ground that the agitation by the students in front of the college, demanding suspension of their  principal, had paralysed traffic on the main road and led to a law-and-order situation at the spot.