Setting aside death penalty awarded by a district court, the Orissa High Court acquitted a tantrik of Jajpur district who was charged with human sacrifice of an eight-year-old boy five years back.
Justice Vinod Prasad and Justice Raghubir Dash yesterday quashed Jajpur the district session court s death sentence and upheld the appeal of the ‘tantrik’ Pitambar Goipoi of innocence setting him free of murder and other related charges.
The bench annulled the lower court s verdict on the ground there was lack of clinching evidence in the case.
District judge Jivan Ballav had in August this year convicted the tantrik of abduction and murder of infant Srikant Bag and sentenced him to death.
Sukinda police had retrieved the beheaded body of Srikant from a deserted place in Damodarpur village on February 13, 2010, two days after he went missing.
Police subsequently recovered the infant s head along with some puja materials from a deserted place near the tantrik s house.
On a complaint from the boy s relative that the tantrik had sacrificed the boy to propitiate the local deity and public outrage, police arrested him.
( Source – PTI )
