Odisha court issues warrant against Boudh MLA in election affidavit case

Amat, who lost the 2024 assembly election from Boudh to Pradhan by 2,765 votes, moved the sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s court in Boudh in 2025

Published on: Sep 27, 2026, 15:30:53 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A court in Odisha’s Boudh district on Friday issued a bailable warrant against Boudh MLA and government chief whip Saroj Kumar Pradhan in connection with an election affidavit case filed by former assembly speaker and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Pradip Kumar Amat.

The judicial magistrate’s court posted the matter for October 15 for Pradhan’s appearance.

Amat, who lost the 2024 assembly election from Boudh to Pradhan by 2,765 votes, moved the sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s court in Boudh in 2025, alleging discrepancies and misrepresentation of facts in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA’s election affidavit.

The case came up before the court on September 25 for the appearance of the accused. While Amat’s lawyer was present, Pradhan’s counsel sought another adjournment, citing an interim order of the Orissa high court.

The court noted that the proceedings had earlier been adjourned from June 5 to September 7 following the high court’s direction. The matter was subsequently deferred on September 7 and 18 to facilitate Pradhan’s appearance.

While allowing the adjournment plea on September 18, the court had given the defence a “last opportunity” to ensure the MLA’s appearance at the next hearing.

As Pradhan failed to appear before the court on Friday, it issued the bailable warrant and posted the matter for October 15, the court order said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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