Odisha MLA arrested in job scam gets bail, but will remain in jail

Despite the bail, Pradeep Panigrahy will not be released from prison as three other cases of fraud have been filed by the people of Ganjam district.

Published on: Feb 24, 2021, 20:33:02 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The Orissa High Court on Wednesday granted conditional bail to former BJD leader and Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy who has been in jail since December last year on charges of defrauding youths of Ganjam district by promising them jobs in Tata Motors.

Pradeep Panigrahy (in pink shirt) was arrested in December for his alleged involvement in a job scam. (HT PHOTO)

Panigrahi was granted bail with the condition of furnishing bail bonds of ₹5 lakh each with two sureties and ₹24 lakh cash security.

Panigrahy has been in jail since December 3 after the Odisha CID arrested him on in connection with a case registered with the Cyber police station under sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 469, 471, 120-B of the IPC and Section 66C, 66D of IT Act. The CID alleged that Panigrahy had collected money from people on behalf of Akash Pathak, son of suspended IFS officer Abhay Pathak, with the false promise of providing jobs in Tata Motors.

However, the legislator will not be released from prison as three cases of fraud have been filed by people of Ganjam district at Golanthara police station.

In December, the ruling BJD had sacked the 56-year-old Panigrahi from the party on charges of anti-people activities.

Earlier this month, the Orissa High Court had quashed an order of the Lokayukta for a probe by the state vigilance department against Panigrahy noting that the complainant and investigating agency in a quasi-judicial process cannot be the same.

Last December, the Lokayukta had issued the order on a complaint filed by Vigilance department on how Panigrahy amassed assets disproportionate to his known source of income.

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