BPO rape case: SC puts onus on Som Mittal

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has allowed the prosecution of Som Mittal for his liability in the rape and murder of a HP software employee Pratibha Srikant Murthy by a cab driver contracted by the company. The court on Thursday said he was responsible for her safety and protection.

Mittal, a former Director of Hewlett Packard Global Software Ltd was challenging the dismissal of his petition by the Karnataka High Court against a case registered by the Karnataka government charging him for liability.

Pratibha, who was employed at the HP run BPO in Bangalore, was raped and murdered in 2005. Her murder led to a debate on the safety of BPO employees like her working in late night shifts.

Som Mittal is currently the Chairman of The National Association of Software and Service Companies.