Hyderabad: Nine victims of the Vakapalli gangrape case have moved the High Court seeking to direct the AP government to appoint a special public prosecutor to conduct the trial pending before the lower court in Visakhapatnam against 13 policemen.
The victims, all of them tribals, approached the court contending that the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act empowered the government to appoint an exclusive special public prosecutor if so desired by the victims to prosecute the case.
They brought told the court that they had represented the district collector on October 30 for appointment of special public prosecutor, but there had been no response. They urged the court to direct the collector to appoint advocate Dr P. Trinadha Rao as special prosecutor.
The case is being tried by the special court in Visakhapatnam that handles cases under the SC, ST Act.
On August 20, 2007, 11 tribal women of Vakapalli in Nurmati panchayat of G. Madugula mandal in the Agency area of Visakhapatnam district were allegedly gangraped by 21 personnel of Greyhounds, the elite anti-naxal force.
The AP High Court in 2012 ordered deletion of names of eight policemen who were part of the contour party outside the affected village. The police filed a chargesheet against 13 policemen. The Supreme Court in September directed the Visakhapatnam special court to complete the trial within six months.
