By Our Correspondent
CUTTACK/BHUBANESWAR: BJP National VP and in charge of Assam and Delhi, Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda and his model turned media baron wife Jagi Panda may likely to face more tough time with Odisha High Court on Friday vacated interim protection from arrest granted to them. Both had got interim relief in the Sarua land scam case as the High Court directed not to arrest the couple till November 12.
Meanwhile, Odisha Infra Tech Private Limited (OIPL)petition for quashing the FIR, for allegedly buying lands belonging to SC persons in a fraudulent manner, was also dismissed by HC. Probe in preliminary stage, said High Court
With Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s 2 most trusted lieutenants, read 5T Secretary VK Pandian and BJD’s Minister maker Jajpur MLA, Pranab Prakash Das alias Bobby, pursuing the matter, Jay and Jagi Panda may face more tough time, sources said.
Crime Branch of State Police headed by able ADGP S Priyadarshi may bring some surprise after the HC vacated stay against the BJP leader and his media baron wife. Apprehending arrest, the Jay Panda and his wife Jagi Panda, had moved the Odisha High Court seeking anticipatory bail.
Odisha Police had already requested the Income Tax department to investigate the benami transaction angle in the land scam allegedly committed by Odisha Infra Tech Private Limited during purchase of land from scheduled caste people at Sarua village in Khurda district.The Economic Offence Wing will continue to probe into other aspects of the case while IT has been recommended to probe into the benami transaction as per the provision of Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Act.
Naming BJP national vice-president and former MP Baijaynt Panda and his wife Jagi Mangat Panda as promoters of the Odisha Infra Tech Private Limited, the EOW had said: “Odisha Infra Tech Private Limited used a driver (belonging to schedule caste) of one of the directors, to act as a conduit to purchase these lands.”
The investigating agency had said more than 7 acres of land was purchased by the company in the name of one Rabi Sethi and later sold. However, he (Sethi) was never in possession of the land. Scheduled Caste (SC) people have been cheated in the incident while Rabi Sethi was used as a conduit.
The account of Sethi has been verified by EOW and no money was given in this regard to him. Later, it also came to light that the lands bought in 2010 to 2013 in the name of Sethi and later sold in 2016 and 2019 to OIPL was never in the possession of Sethi.
It said the lands were purchased from villagers of Sarua in Begunia block of Khurda district between June, 2010 and June, 2013 at much lower price from villagers in the name of Rabi Sethi, who was working as a driver of one of the directors of the firm.Possession of the land was never with Sethi, rather it was taken over by the firm.The Government of Odisha had ordered a Crime Branch probe in the land scam matter. Manoranjan Sarangi, a director of the Odisha Infratech Pvt Ltd and also a senior executive of Panda owned OTV, and one Siba Prasad Srichandan, dealings with the company, have been arrested by the EOW.
