Annapurna Behera v. State of Odisha
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 – Sections 482 and 216
Case brief
What is this about?
Orissa High Court, Cuttack – CRLMC No. 1736 of 2024, decided 05.05.2025 by S.S. Mishra, J. Keywords: Section 482 Cr.P.C. maintainability of victims' petition; Section 216 Cr.P.C. alteration/addition of charge; Section 120-B IPC criminal conspiracy charge dropped in murder trial (murder of Chandan Kumar Behera at Khushi Restaurant, Katcheri Chhak, Puri; Puri Town P.S. Case No. 3 of 2017); second round litigation by same petitioners; liberty to Addl. P.P. to renew prayer; P.W.21 seizure of Ext.P-17/1 and Ext.P-18; de novo trial concern; speedy trial direction in CRLMC No. 656 of 2023; precedents: Jagjeet Singh v. Ashish Mishra (2022) 9 SCC 321 (victim's right to be heard – applied); P. Kartikalakshmi v. Sri Ganesh (2017) 3 SCC 347 (no vested right to seek alteration of charge – relied on); Firozuddin Basheeruddin v. State of Kerala (2001) 7 SCC 596; Nallapareddy Sridhar Reddy v. State of A.P. (2020) 12 SCC 467; Ananta Prakash Sinha 2016 SCC (Vol. 6); CBI v. Karimulla Osan Khan 2014 SCC (Vol. 11). Outcome: CRLMC dismissed; trial court left free to evaluate the entire evidence including the Section 313 Cr.P.C. statement of the accused.