A single bench of Orissa HC of Justice BT Routray has rejected the petition filed by M/s Odisha Infratech Pvt. Ltd to quash the criminal proceeding against the head of Infratech Pvt Ltd and BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda and his wife Jagi Mangat Panda under section 482 of CrPC in the case of land grabbing by a company promoted by the family. The court also said that this case of land grabbing is a serious case and cannot be quashed.
The petition filed says that the accused is the case are innocent and are implicated under criminal conspiracy. Where the court held that this case isn’t base on political vendetta as the advocate on behalf couldn’t prove it. Before this the Sessions Court ordered the arrest of accused in the case of wrongly acquiring & acres of land in the name of the company.
Earlier, the Khurda district and sessions court had ordered the arrest of Panda and his wife in the case of wrongly acquiring seven acres of land in the name of the company. The Income Tax Department has been asked by Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to investigate the benami business.
Jagi Mangat Panda who is MD of OTV and wife of Baijayant Panda said that- “the state government had implicated them due to personal enmity. Within the last two months, more than 20 cases have been registered against OTV and its affiliates. They have been targeted since the BJD government opened its mouth against corruption and after Baijayant Panda joined the BJP. The government is taking such action in panic after the news of government corruption and COVID fund scam was aired on OTV.”
