The Orissa High Court has granted bail to a person arrested in connection with the rape of a Catholic nun during the anti-Christian riot in Kandhamal district.

The state court on Saturday granted bail to Gururam Patra, one of the 19 people arrested accused of being in gang of people that raped the 29-year-old nun on Aug. 25, and paraded her half-naked through the streets.

The single judge bench of Justice C R Dash said Patra led a mob in the aftermath of the murder of a Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati’s in August 2008. But there was no evidence of his involvement in the nun rape case, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The violation of the nun happened two-days after the murder of the Hindu leader. Police say Maoists were responsible for the murder, but Hindu fanatics blamed it on Christians to orchestrate a seven-week long violence, Christian leaders say.

Early April the High Court transferred the rape case away from violence-hit Kandhamal district to Sessions Court in Cuttack, near the state capital Bhubaneswar.

The transfer followed a plea by the nun, who said Kandhamal’s intimidating atmosphere would prevent her appearing in court there.

The petition also noted the atmosphere in Kandhamal was not “conducive” for her to appear before the court. Christian leaders say some of the nun’s attackers and other riot perpetrators are yet to be arrested.

Her petition also said she feared her life was in “grave danger” and pleaded for the case to be moved from Kandhamal.

On two earlier occasions, the High Court allowed her to attend police line-ups outside Kandhamal to identify her attackers.

Source: One gets bail in nun rape case (cathnewsindia)

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