Dumka School Girl Killing: Jharkhand High Court Warns Authorities Of Imposing Exemplary Costs If Replies Not Filed By Nov 11

The Jharkhand High Court last week warned the official authorities of imposing exemplary costs if they fail to file replies (by November 11) to the queries put forth by the High Court in connection with the killing of a girl in the State's Dumka district in August 2022.

The High Court has taken a suo moto cognizance of this case wherein the accused allegedly poured petrol on a 16-year-old schoolgirl from outside the window of her room while she was sleeping and set her ablaze.

Observing that the occurrence has stirred the conscience of not only the people of the State of Jharkhand but rather the entire country, the bench of Chief Justice Dr. Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan had, on August 30, asked the official authorities to file their responses on certain aspects of the state.

Read more about the Court's order here: Dumka School Girl Killing Has 'Stirred Conscience Of Entire Country': Jharkhand HC Takes Suo Moto Cognizance, To Monitor Case

Now, on October 14, 2022, the Court noted that despite its clear-cut direction, there was no answer in the affidavit of the State regarding the issues Nos.2, 4 and 5 raised by the Court in its August 30 order.

For context, the three issues framed by the Court were (all issues framed by the Court could be read here):

(2) Why the victim was compelled to rush to RIMS from the place of occurrence, i.e., from the District of Dumka which is having at a distance of about 280 kilometers and whether the proper treatment could not have been provided in the nearby hospital, i.e., at AIIMS, Deoghar?

(4) It has been published in the media that one member of the disciplined force having been police robe has been interviewed by a channel wherein he has indicated something towards the mental condition of the culprit (named accused in the FIR). A question was put to the Director General of Police that how and under what circumstances, the member of the disciplined force had disclosed the same in an interview given to the media. Whether, he had instruction to do so by any competent authority and before uttering the same, whether, the aforesaid accused person was medically examined?

(5) It has also been reported in the media that one of the Investigating Officer has been removed from the list of Investigators.

Now, since replies weren't filed by the official authorities to the aforementioned queries of the court, the Court directed the Superintendent of Police, Dumka to file an affidavit answering issue No.2.

So far as issues Nos.4 and 5 are concerned, the Court directed the Director General of Police, Jharkhand to file an affidavit in that regard on or before the next date of hearing. The Court warned the authorities of imposing exemplary costs upon both authorities in case they fail to file a reply by the next date (November 11).

The Director, AIIMS, Deoghar was also directed to file the reply by the next date otherwise cost shall be imposed, the court warned. 

Case title - Court on its own motion v. State of Jharkhand

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