Anjana Mishra rape case
Encyclopedia
Anjana Mishra rape case was a high profile rape case that occurred in state of Orissa
(India) in 1999. Anjana Mishra, estranged wife of an Indian Forest Service
officer, was raped on 9 January 1999. The case had created a furore in the State with Anjana accusing the then Chief Minister J. B. Patnaik and his friend former Advocate-General of Orissa Indrajit Ray of having played a role in the incident. The rape case spoiled the party's image. The party president Sonia Gandhi
replaced the Chief Minister by Giridhar Gamang
.
The car in which Anjana and her journalist friend were travelling on 9 January 1999 was intercepted at a desolate place near Barang on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar
by the three accused and she was gang raped in front of her friend. Two of the culprits were arrested on 26 January 1999, and remanded to judicial custody. The Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) took up the case after the Orissa High Court
ordered the investigating agency on 26 February 1999, to probe the case. The CBI submitted its charge-sheet on 5 May 1999.
After a long battle, Anjana Mishra has won her case. In a judgment delivered on 29 April 2002 the District and Sessions Judge of Khurda, Orissa, sentenced two of the three accused persons in the case to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs.5,000 each. Judge Mahendra Nath Patnaik convicted Pradip Sahoo and Direndra Mohanty on charges of sexually assaulting Anjana while she was travelling in a car from Cuttack
to Bhubaneswar along with a friend on 9 January 1999 . The third accused, Biban Biswal, is still absconding.
On the judgment Anjana Mishra said that she was still "depressed" as the investigating agency had not made any effort to arrest Biswal, who, she alleged held the key to unravelling the "conspiracy" behind the gang rape.
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
(India) in 1999. Anjana Mishra, estranged wife of an Indian Forest Service
Indian Forest Service
The Indian Forest Service is the Forestry service of India. It is one of the three All India Services of the Indian government, along with the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service; its employees are recruited by the national government but serve under the state governments or...
officer, was raped on 9 January 1999. The case had created a furore in the State with Anjana accusing the then Chief Minister J. B. Patnaik and his friend former Advocate-General of Orissa Indrajit Ray of having played a role in the incident. The rape case spoiled the party's image. The party president Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi is an Italian-born Indian politician and the President of the Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi...
replaced the Chief Minister by Giridhar Gamang
Giridhar Gamang
Giridhar Gamang is a leader of the Indian National Congress and a former Chief Minister of Orissa. He was born at Dibirisingi village in Rayagada district of Orissa. In 1972, he was elected for the first time to the 5th Lok Sabha from Koraput. Subsequently, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in...
.
The car in which Anjana and her journalist friend were travelling on 9 January 1999 was intercepted at a desolate place near Barang on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
by the three accused and she was gang raped in front of her friend. Two of the culprits were arrested on 26 January 1999, and remanded to judicial custody. The Central Bureau of Investigation
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
(CBI) took up the case after the Orissa High Court
Orissa High Court
The Orissa High Court is the High Court of the state of Orissa. It was established on 3 April 1948 under the Orissa High Court Order, 1948.The seat of the court is Cuttack. The court has a sanctioned judge strength of 27.-Former Chief Justices:...
ordered the investigating agency on 26 February 1999, to probe the case. The CBI submitted its charge-sheet on 5 May 1999.
After a long battle, Anjana Mishra has won her case. In a judgment delivered on 29 April 2002 the District and Sessions Judge of Khurda, Orissa, sentenced two of the three accused persons in the case to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs.5,000 each. Judge Mahendra Nath Patnaik convicted Pradip Sahoo and Direndra Mohanty on charges of sexually assaulting Anjana while she was travelling in a car from Cuttack
Cuttack
Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...
to Bhubaneswar along with a friend on 9 January 1999 . The third accused, Biban Biswal, is still absconding.
On the judgment Anjana Mishra said that she was still "depressed" as the investigating agency had not made any effort to arrest Biswal, who, she alleged held the key to unravelling the "conspiracy" behind the gang rape.
Earlier attempted rape
On 12 July 1997, Anjana formally complained against Ray by writing to the Chief Minister stating that on 11 July Ray invited her on to his office-cum-residence in Cuttack, took her to his bedroom on the pretext of receiving a confidential call, and attempted to rape her. As no action was taken, representatives of several women's organisations met the Chief Minister who suggested a compromise deal. This was rejected by Anjana. She filed a first information report with the Cantonment police station in Cuttack on 19 July 1997. Anjana also accused the Chief Minister of shielding Ray. Ray had to quit the post following a public outcry and the case was taken up by the CBI. The CBI Designated Court sentenced Ray to three years' rigorous imprisonment in February 2000, charging him with attempted rape.External links
- Anjana's own testimony, detailing her married life and subsequent events
- http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmintdev/160/9012614.htm
- http://www.media-watch.org/articles/0299/23.html
- http://www.rediff.com/news/anjana.htm
- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/8381308.cms
- http://www.india-today.com/itoday/12071999/orissa.html
- http://appiusforum.net/anjana_mishra.html