Kannada FIR a challenge for Justice On Wheels

DALTONGANJ: The Palamu Legal Services Authority (Palsa) has received a copy of an FIR written in Kannada from the Karnataka police. The FIR is in connection with the death of the 19-year-old Suhail Ansari of Bansipur village under Babhandi panchayat in Haidernagar block.
Last month, 'Justice On Wheels' had visited Haidernagar block, where the deceased's mother, Quresha Bibi, had given them a written petition urging officials to do justice to her.She said her son was taken to Karnal in Haryana and after 17 days his body reached her. She was told that her son died after consuming 12 bottles of alcohol.
Palsa secretary K K Jha confirmed the receipt of a copy of the FIR from Karnataka police instead of Haryana police. "Quresha first told me that her son was taken to Karnal by a villager and his body was brought back home 17 days later by a man who told her that Suhail died after consuming 12 bottles of wine. However, further inquiry set the record straight - Suhail's mother erroneously mentioned Karnal when her son was taken but in Belgaum in Karnataka, where he died."
The FIR, dated July 15, 2013 and written in Kannada, is posing another problem for Jha. "I cannot read a single alphabet of the FIR. The Karnataka police should have provided an English translation. They must have known that Kannada would be unreadable in a place like Palamu."
Moreover, no post-mortem report is attached with the FIR though an embalming certificate issued by a medical officer with the Belgaum Institute of Medical Science's forensic department, saying that Suhail's body has been embalmed and is fit for transportation, is enclosed along with it.
Jha said this copy of the FIR and the embalming certificate will be sent to Jharkhand Legal Services Authority (Jhalsa) executive chairman Justice D N Patel.
Meanwhile, Justice On Wheels has completed its one month stay/travel in Palamu and has returned to Jhalsa, Ranchi. The Jharkhand high court has also transferred Vishnu Kant Sahay, principal district and sessions judge of Palamu civil court, to Lohardagga, while principal district and sessions judge of Seraikela K K Srivastava will take over as the new PDJ of Palamu civil court.