CUTTACK: Refusing to terminate criminal proceedings against expelled BJD leader and former Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal in the multi-crore Seashore chit fund scam, the Orissa High Court has instead called upon the CBI court to conclude the trial within six months.
While disposing of Biswal’s petition seeking quashing of the case, Justice SK Panigrahi observed that the delay in the trial could not justify scrapping the prosecution. He has requested the Special Judge, CBI-I, Bhubaneswar, to complete the trial within the stipulated period and avoid granting unnecessary adjournments.
“Since the matter is pending for a long time, this Court requests the learned Special Judge, CBI-I, Bhubaneswar to take steps to complete the trial within a period of six months,” Justice Panigrahi said.
Biswal was arrested by the CBI on September 19, 2017, during its investigation into the Seashore Group of Companies, one of the key entities in Odisha’s chit fund scam. He was granted bail by the High Court on June 26, 2018.
According to the CBI, Biswal, then an MLA, allegedly received Rs 25 lakh through the bank account of his wife Laxmi Bilasini Biswal from the account of Seashore Multipurpose Cooperative Ltd in 2011. The CBI alleged the money was paid in return for extending political protection to enable the Seashore Group to continue its illegal deposit collection activities in Cuttack and adjoining areas. In his latest petition, Biswal argued that the prolonged trial had caused serious prejudice to his political career. He pointed out that although the High Court, while disposing of his earlier quashing petition in April 2023, had directed the trial court to complete proceedings within a year of framing charges, the timeline had not been adhered to.