HC refuses to bail to murder convict

The Orissa High Court today denied interim bail to Sandeep Acharya alias Raja, who is serving life sentence for killing judo coach Biranchi Das in Bhubaneswar on April 13, 2008.
A division bench of justices Vinod Prasad and Pramath Patnaik refused to grant interim bail to the convict, who had sought the relief to be with his ailing mother. The convict was produced in the court, where he tried to argue his case bypassing his own counsel.
In January 2011, a fast track court in Bhubaneswar had convicted Acharya and one of his accomplishes for murdering the judo coach and sentenced them to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 each.

Acharya has, however, challenged lower court's verdict in the High Court in a criminal appeal petition, which is to come up for hearing on November 20.