Potency test to be held to 13 cops

Visakhapatnam: The judge of Special Court for SC and ST cases O V Nageswara Rao here on Monday allowed the prosecution's petition to perform potency test on the 13 accused police personnel in the Vakapalli gang-rape case. The case came for hearing on Monday and the judge said in his orders that potency test should be completed on or before the next hearing, which is on November 30.

It may be recalled that the Special Public Prosecutor Sunkara Rajendra Prasad filed a petition on October 30 seeking direction from the Sessions Court to perform potency test on the accused in the Vakapalli gang-rape case. 

Rajendra Prasad argued that the potency test, generally conducted at the stage of the investigation, was not conducted in the much sensational  gang rape case and termed it as another lapse in the probe conducted by the CID. 

Terming an example of Nityananda wherein the Supreme Court held that the Godman had to undergo the test in the interests of justice irrespective of the stage of the case. Nithyananda underwent the potency test that proved Nithyananda was a potent.

On August 20, 2007, eleven tribal women of Vakapalli village, a tiny tribal hamlet of G. Madugula Mandal in the agency were allegedly gang-raped by the security personnel, who were on combing duty in the Maoist-hit areas. 

Since then, the women have been fighting a legal battle. In April 2008, the CID gave a clean chit to the accused policemen and it was only after that the victims approached the Paderu Magisterial Court and filed a protest petition, seeking acceptance of a private petition. 

After over a decade-long struggle, the Apex Court in August 2017 ordered that the case be heard by a Special Court constituted to handle SC /ST Atrocities Act in Visakhapatnam.