Supreme Court to hear Kandhamal nun's plea

The Supreme Court has agreed to look into the appeal of a Christian nun allegedly raped by religious fanatics during the Kandhamal riots in Orissa.

A bench of justices Altamas Kabir and J Chelameshwar, which posted to Monday the plea made by senior counsel Colin Gonzalves on behalf of the victim, sought the presence of the Government's standing counsel, according to a report by the Press Trust of India.

"The bench was initially not inclined to interfere with the high court order, but after Gonzalves persisted with the plea citing certain purported decisions of the apex court, it agreed to hear the matter on Monday," the report said.

In her plea, the nun has sought cross-examination and recall of prosecution witness who is the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM).

According to the nun, the Sub Divisional Magistrate had wrongly in his examination submitted that one of the accused Santosh Patnaik "did not commit any other overt act."

The Catholic nun had earlier sought cross examination of the SDM or alternatively sought his declaration as a hostile witness.

The trial court reportedly turned down her plea on the ground that plea for cross examination can be made either at the request of the public prosecutor or upon direction by the court.

She challenged the same before the Orissa High Court which concurred with the reasoning. She then appealed in the apex court.

The 31-year-old nun was allegedly raped at K Nuagaon under Baliguda police station area in Kandhamal during a bandh on August 25, 2008, two days after the killing of the VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati.