Dara hearing on March 14

KARANJIA (ORISSA), MAR 3: The hearing of three of the five criminal cases involving Dara Singh, the prime accused in the murder of Austral...

KARANJIA (ORISSA), MAR 3: The hearing of three of the five criminal cases involving Dara Singh, the prime accused in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, will come up for hearing before the Sessions and District Judge, Baripada, on March 14.

Karanjia sub-divisional judicial magistrate Promode Kumar Jena transferred the cases while hearing an argument here on Wednesday. However, the cases relating to dacoities in Godabhanga Ghaty road and in Kendimundi market involving Dara Singh will be heard in his court, the judge ruled.

Nearly 3,000 people thronged the court to see Dara Singh appear before the court.

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Advocate for Dara Singh Pradeep Chowdhury and Supreme Court advocate Bharat Singh Sahani, who is also pleading for Dara Singh, moved a joint petition before the SDJM Karanjia seeking permission to meet Dara and inquire about his wellbeing at the baripada circle jail.

In a separate petition, the advocates argued that Articles 21 and 22 (Clause 1) were violated through solitary confinement of the detained accused at the Baripada Circle Jail.

But the SDJM rejected both the petitions on the ground that he had earlier allowed Dara Singh’s counsel Pradeep Chowdhury to meet the accused in jail.