Court puts hearings on halt
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 01 2015 :
The Special Court of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Manipur East has put the hearings of the rape case of a minor Gorkha girl on halt after the daughter of the accused told the Court through a written application that her father is mentally unsound and he would not be able to defend himself in the Court for the time being.
In the written plea submitted on March 12 last, accused S Ngaopuni's daughter requested the Court to make an enquiry into her father's mental state.
She said that her father's mental condition has not shown any improvement although he has been receiving treatment in judicial custody.
The application further said that a bail plea to facilitate treatment in a better equipped hospital outside the jail is still pending.
On the other hand, the prosecution counsel had submitted a written objection against the plea submitted by Ngaopuni's daughter.
It said that a medical report submitted by a medical board on the mental health of the accused to the Court some days back had mentioned that S Ngaopuni does not have any active psychiatric problem.
After receiving the medical report, the defence counsel again told the Court that the report did not mention anything about S Ngaopuni's dementia status.
As such, he pleaded the Court to direct the medical board to investigate the dementia status of the accused as well and put the hearings on halt.
Later, the Court directed the medical board to submit a report about the dementia status of the accused before April 8 so that the Court may carry on the hearings of the case.
It may be mentioned that S Ngaopuni (65) s/o (L) Seiba of Liyai Khullen is currently lodged in judicial custody under FIR number 30 (4) 2014 of Heingang police station under Section 376/420 IPC and Section 4 of POCSO Act regarding the alleged rape case of minor girl on April 17, 2014 .