ROURKELA: Grant of bail to the prime accused in a cricket betting racket and alleged hurried release of his seized property by a local court snowballed into a major controversy on Monday as members of Rourkela Bar Association (RBA) have resorted to strike over the issue.
Raising questions on the conduct of the judicial magistrate in the case, lawyers paralysed all criminal, civil and executive courts and stated the strike would continue till they receive a reply from the Orissa High Court (HC) on the matter.
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The RBA has sent a memorandum to the High Court nine days back. The lawyers have demanded immediate transfer of the magistrate.
On June 25 night, Plant Site police had busted a Cricket World Cup betting racket and arrested one Nagarmal Agarwal and his associate Sunil Singhal. Police had seized `31,17,500, Agarwal’s passport, 17 mobile phones, calculators and an LED television.
Hours later, another co-accused Md Abid Hussain was also arrested in this connection.
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However, the very next morning, the court of sub divisional judicial magistrate granted bail to Agarwal to allow him attend his daughter’s marriage but sent the rest two accused to jail.
The magistrate held the court at his official residence and ordered release of the seized property of Agarwal, lawyers alleged.
This peeved RBA members who staged a cease-work agitation on the same day. RBA president Ramesh Chandra Bal said the conduct of the court’s presiding officer is under cloud as during the cease-work agitation on June 27, the principal accused appeared at the residence of the magistrate.
Bal alleged that the magistrate showing extraordinary interest in the case summoned the court sub-inspector to present the seizure list within 30 minutes with the threat of initiating contempt proceeding.
Later, the magistrate ordered to release all property including passport of Agarwal by 5 pm. The manner in which the magistrate acted was unusual as under normal circumstances, it takes at least 15 days to release seized property, Bal alleged.
The magistrate also ignored the fact that Agarwal had criminal antecedents and the authenticity of the wedding card was not verified, Bal added.