Cuttack, Dec 3 (PTI) An intervention petition was filed in Orissa High Court in the Kalahandi woman school teacher murder case on Friday alleging involvement of the Minister of State for Home and Energy D S Mishra in it and seeking to be impleaded as an opposite party in the main petition.

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Claiming to be the working president of Kalahandi Meher Samaj, Santosh Kumar Meher approached the High Court and questioned the fairness of police investigations made so far.

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Meher's counsel Pitambar Acharya told the HC that the incident has disturbed the conscience of the entire Meher community in the State.

The intervenor further alleged that the "story" advanced by the prosecution is shrouded in mystery and the investigation is not being carried in accordance with law.

“A deliberate attempt is being made by the police to suppress the crime and protect the offenders,” he said and alleged that the murder was part of a conspiracy.

“Serious allegations of conspiracy, though is evident from different circumstantial evidence with regard to the indulgence of the minister. No concrete and tangible effort is being made by the police to unearth the indulgence of Mishra in the alleged offence,” the petition by Meher said.

The 24-year old teacher of a private school at Mahaling in Kalahandi district, was kidnapped and murdered in October 8 this year.

The president of the school managing committee has been arrested as a prime accused in this connection and it is alleged that he is a close aide of the minister, who very frequently visited the school and took undue interest in its management.

Meanwhile, the government counsel submitted a status report with the registrar of the HC during the day in response to a petition filed by the victim's family for a time-bound impartial investigation.

Earlier this week the HC had appointed a retired district and sessions judge to supervise the police investigations.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)