Orissa HC quashes FIR against 5 students, orders jail visit for reform over assault case
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has quashed an FIR against five students on the condition that they will visit a jail, observe living conditions of the prisoners and submit a report.The FIR was registered against the five, all students of a college in Cuttack city, for assaulting and threatening to kill a classmate. In the order, Justice Sibo Sankar Mishra said subjecting the petitioners who are young students pursuing their graduation ‘to the rigors of the trial would be a futile exercise’, and quashed the FIR subject to conditions.
“The petitioners shall visit Choudwar Jail, Cuttack within two weeks from today, compile a report regarding the hygiene maintained on the jail premises and suggest positive measures regarding the same. They must furnish their suggestions to the jail superintendent and obtain a certificate from him to be filed before this court within four weeks from today,” Justice Mishra said in his January 16 order, while quashing the FIR.The FIR was registered at Madhupatna police station on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim’s father on December 30, 2024.
The petitioners were directed by the HC to tender unconditional and unqualified written apologies to the informant, father of the victim and file those written apologies before the court within 10 days.
“By visiting the jail premises, they need to realise the living condition of the prisoners in the jail; that experience will impel them to come out from the cocoon of their comfort to perceive the hard reality of life, and value human dignity and nudge into a positive direction and reform themselves into a good citizen,” Justice Mishra observed.
The five students and the victim’s father appearing before the HC jointly prayed for quashing of the FIR. Replying to the court’s query, the victim’s father stated that he lodged the FIR to teach the students a lesson so that in future they would not indulge in such activities.
