India News | Ex-Andaman Chief Secy Arrives in Port Blair After HC Order to Appear Before SIT over Gangrape Charge

Kolkata/Port Blair, Oct 27 (PTI) Former chief secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Jitendra Narain arrived in Port Blair on Thursday, following a Calcutta High Court order to appear before a Special Investigation Team, which is probing alleged gangrape charges against him, by October 28.

Narain was escorted out of the airport amid heavy security cover, officials said.

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He did not respond to questions from mediapersons, who were waiting for his arrival at the airport.

A vacation bench comprising justices Bibek Chaudhuri and Prasenjit Biswas also granted interim protection against arrest to Narain till a date that will be fixed by the circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court in Port Blair on November 14, on its first date of sitting after the Durga Puja vacation.

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The court also noted that Narain, who was transferred to Delhi on July 21, has declared that he is ready and willing to cooperate with the investigation.

The SIT is probing an allegation by a woman that she was gangraped by Narain and others on April 14 and May 1, on the basis of an FIR filed at Aberdeen Police Station in Port Blair on October 1.

The bench allowed the SIT to interrogate and take all other steps such as medical examination of the petitioner in the course of interrogation.

A joint team of police officers from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Delhi had raided the house of Narain on October 18, following which he filed an application before the Delhi High Court praying for transit anticipatory bail.

A single bench of the Delhi High Court granted interim protection from arrest to Narain till October 28.

He, thereafter, filed an application before the Calcutta High Court praying for an extension of time on the ground that the next circuit bench at Port Blair will start from November 14, so that he gets an opportunity to pray for anticipatory bail before it in the Andaman and Nicobar capital.

The SIT was constituted to probe allegations that the 21-year-old woman in Andaman and Nicobar Islands was lured to the chief secretary's home by promising a government job, and then raped by top officials there.

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