HC orders jail authorities to produce death row convict via video conferencing

Cuttack: Orissa high court has directed authorities of the special jail in Bhubaneswar to produce death row convict Sanjeet Dash (35) before it via video conferencing on March 12, while HC was hearing a reference for confirmation of the death sentence awarded to him for murdering his wife in 2022.A two-judge bench, comprising Justices Manash Ranjan Pathak and Sashikanta Mishra, issued the direction on Thursday during proceedings related to the death sentence reference sent by the state govt.
The bench asked jail authorities to produce the convict before the court at 10:30am on March 12 via video conferencing. It also directed the authorities to inform the court about the conduct of the convict in jail and submit details regarding his physical and mental health condition after the trial court judgment by which he was awarded the death penalty.High court is currently examining the death sentence confirmation reference as well as a jail criminal appeal filed by Dash challenging his conviction and sentence.The bench had earlier considered a preliminary objection raised by Dash alleging that he was not given a fair trial. In an order dated Feb 19, the court rejected the contention after examining the matter in detail.The judges observed that the objection relating to the fairness of the trial went to the root of the case and was, therefore, taken up as a preliminary point. After analysing the facts, legal position and submissions made during the hearing, the bench held that the trial had been conducted in a fair and proper manner and that no prejudice had been caused to the accused.According to the prosecution, Dash murdered his wife inside their house at Ghatikia under the jurisdiction of Bharatpur police station on June 9, 2022.Following the trial, the court of the second additional sessions judge, Bhubaneswar on Aug 1, 2024, convicted Dash and sentenced him to death.As mandated under law, the death sentence has been referred to the high court for confirmation. The court will take up further proceedings in the matter after the convict is produced through video conferencing and the jail authorities submit the required report.According to the case presented by the prosecution, Sanjeet Dash, the convict, had allegedly murdered his wife, Saraswati, a few days after she gave birth to their second daughter. While Saraswati worked as a nurse in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, Sanjeet was unemployed and used to frequently fight with her as he had reportedly no source of income and besides, they had no son.The convict allegedly stabbed his wife at least 33 times and even slit the throat of their elder daughter. The couple's daughter survived the attack. The trial court observed that the monstrosity of the crime categorises the convict's act as ‘rarest of the rare'. Since its establishment in 2008, this is the first case of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissionerate police in which a convict has been awarded death penalty.