Kandhamal: Bishops file plea in SC seeking CBI probe

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India CBCI approached the Supreme Court on Monday and sought a CBI probe into the Kandhamal riots of 2007 and 2008 in Orissa. The conference alleged that the state Government had failed to bring normalcy and to ensure freedom and security to citizens as guaranteed under the Constitution.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam,which is already looking into another petition related to Kandhamal violence,asked the Government to respond to the allegations by the CBCI.

The apex court agreed to hear the CBCI petition along with the one filed earlier by Archbishop of Cuttack Raphael Cheenath.

Senior advocate Soli J Sorabjee and Romy Chacko,appearing for the CBCI,appealed that the Kandhamal incident should be probed by the CBI. They said a judicial authority should be made mandatory in the event of a communal clash to decide the issue of compensation among victims.