Naba Das case: Court junks CB plea for Gopal’s mental test at NIMHANS

The Jharsuguda district and sessions court here on Friday denied a Crime Branch petition to send Gopal Das, the sole accused in the murder of Odisha Health Minister Naba Das, to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru for further examination.

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Mar 3, 2023 - 20:12
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Naba Das case: Court junks CB plea for Gopal’s mental test at NIMHANS
Naba Das case

Bhubaneswar: The Jharsuguda district and sessions court here on Friday denied a Crime Branch petition to send Gopal Das, the sole accused in the murder of Odisha Health Minister Naba Das, to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru for further examination.

According to sources, the petition was denied on technical grounds rather than on the merits of its request.

The CB moved to the district and sessions court last month after a lower court rejected its plea on the grounds that it had already exhausted its option of taking the accused into custody for two weeks. The revised plea asked the court to order jail officials to transport Gopal to NIMHANS for three weeks and submit a report to the court with a copy to the investigators.

According to sources, the investigation agency requested the special permission because the four-member team of mental health experts who examined Gopal believed that a thorough examination of the accused was required to reach a definitive conclusion about his mental health.

While Gopal has admitted to shooting the minister, the CB is relying heavily on the proposed mental health assessment, as the former may use the "insanity defense" in court.