CUTTACK: Notorious gangster siblings Sushanta Kumar Dhalsamanta (52) and Sushil Kumar Dhalsamanta (48) have been granted bail by the Orissa High Court in connection with a 2016 case involving possession of counterfeit currency allegedly mixed with large volume of seized cash.
However, both will continue in jail as they face trial in several other cases. In the August 8 order, which was uploaded on Monday, the single judge bench of Justice Gourishankar Satapathy observed that despite the brothers being in custody for over nine years and four months, the trial in the case has seen little progress, with only eight out of 20 charge-sheeted witnesses examined so far.
The case was registered at the Chauliaganj police station at Cuttack in 2016. As per the prosecution, 12 counterfeit currency notes, eight of Rs 1,000 denomination and four of Rs 500, were allegedly recovered from the brothers, mixed with cash amounting to Rs 2.67 crore.
While acknowledging their criminal antecedents, the court emphasised the fundamental right of the accused to a speedy trial. “It is no doubt true that the petitioners are having some criminal antecedents, and in four cases, Sushanta has been convicted, but has not been sentenced beyond seven years in those cases. Similarly, Sushil is convicted in two cases, but has not been sentenced beyond seven years,” it said.