New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The Supreme Court Monday set aside an order of the Orissa High Court which had disposed of a plea filed by the father of a five-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and murdered last year, raising grievance over the investigation conducted in the case.

The high court, in its September last year order, had permitted the girl's father to approach the concerned trial court under the provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure for appropriate relief.

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The apex court, while setting aside the high court order, restored the writ petition filed by the girl's father there so that it be considered afresh.

"We deem it appropriate to set aside the impugned order of the high court and remit the petition to the high court by restoring the writ petition filed by him to the file of the High Court of Orissa, Cuttack, for being considered afresh on its own merits and in accordance with law,” a bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna said.

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The top court was hearing two separate petitions, including the one filed by the girl's father against the high court September last year order. The other petition was filed by the girl's mother seeking CBI investigation in the case.

The minor girl was allegedly kidnapped when she was playing outside her house in Odisha's Nayagarh district on July 14 last year and her skeletal remains were found from the backyard of her house on July 23, 2020.

The incident came into limelight after her parents attempted self-immolation in front of the state assembly in Bhubaneswar on November 24 last year.

A special investigation team (SIT), conducting probe into the case, had last year arrested an accused.

During the hearing conducted on Monday, the bench told counsel appearing for the girl's parents that the apex court would permit them to approach the high court and would set aside the September last year order.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state, said that charges have been framed against the accused arrested in the case and trial in the case is fixed for September 20.

Sibal said the state government, after constituting the SIT to probe into the matter, had went to the high court and said that investigation be monitored by the court.

He said that allegation of organ trading in the matter has been made for the first time in the apex court.

The bench said the matter would be considered afresh by the high court after giving opportunity to the petitioner to amend the plea, including to ask for further relief.

“It will be open to the petitioner to file a comprehensive writ petition referring to all relevant facts, including the developments which took place during the pendency of the earlier writ petitions and the nature of investigation done by the SIT, if so advised,” the bench said while disposing of the plea.

(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)