ROURKELA: In the wake of protracted agitation by lawyers of Rourkela Bar Association (RBA), Panposh Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Abhay Das was relieved on Friday.
The RBA had launched an agitation demanding the transfer of the SDJM over a controversial bail order favouring the principal accused in a cricket betting racket case.
RBA president Ramesh Chandra Bal said the Orissa High Court had transferred the SDJM three days ago with posting of new Panposh SDJM R K Pradhan, who is yet to take charge.
Earlier, following a direction by Orissa High Court Chief Justice K S Jhaveri, High Court Registrar (Vigilance) L K Dash had a meeting with the RBA members on September 5 and intimated that a Vigilance enquiry was ordered to find out if any anomaly existed in the bail order and the circumstances surrounding it. He had also conducted a preliminary inquiry.
Bal said the transfer came after the OHC Registrar (Vigilance) submitted a report to the Orissa High Court. It is victory of the bar and people of Rourkela as a wrong message was going out about the lower judiciary after the controversial bail order and subsequent hurried release of seized properties of the principal accused under extraordinary circumstances.
The RBA members were boycotting all courts since July 22. After the visit of the OHC Registrar (Vigilance) on September 5, the RBA, at its extraordinary general body meeting, had resolved to suspend the agitation pending inquiry by the High Court.