VISAKHAPATNAM: After the Supreme Court ordered that trials be expedited and concluded within six months in the case of alleged gang-rape of 11 women of Kondh tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, at Vakapalle village of Vishakapatnam Agency, the 13 accused police personnel in the case have been summoned by the Magisterial Court at Paderu. It is learnt that they have also been told to produce surety and the case is further committed to the Special Court constituted to handle the cases under the SC /ST Atrocities Act in Visakhapatnam.
According to sources, the case came up for hearing at the Paderu Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Thursday and in-charge Judge Pardhasarathi, a regular judge of Chodavaram court, conducted the proceedings before committing the case to Special Session Court of the SC and ST cases, Visakhapatnam, as the Paderu court has no jurisdiction to conduct a trial of the SC and ST Act cases.
On August 20, 2007, 11 tribal women from Vakapalle of G Madugula mandal were allegedly gang-raped at gunpoint by the personnel of Greyhounds who had gone for combing operations in the forest region. The victims say that the incident happened when all the men of the village left for agricultural fields. After 10 years of wait by the tribal women, the Supreme Court on September 1 directed that the trial be fast tracked and concluded in six months.