Berhampur: Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy was acquitted in three more cases related to job fraud on Wednesday by the special designated court for MPs and MLAs, clearing him of all five cheating cases filed against him.
The cases, registered between 2020 and 2022 at Baidyanath Pur and Golanthara police stations, alleged that Panigrahy had duped complainants by making false promises of jobs for their relatives. “The court acquitted him in two cases on Tuesday and three more on Wednesday due to lack of evidence,” Deepak Patnaik, Panigrahy’s advocate, said.
Former IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak and his son Akash Kumar Pathak, co-accused in one of the cases, were also acquitted on Tuesday.
“Truth always wins and the court verdict is the victory of truth,” Panigrahy said. However, the three-time Gopalpur MLA still faces two pending cases in Bhubaneswar – one vigilance case and another related to cybercrime.
The former BJD leader’s legal troubles began when the state crime branch arrested him on December 3, 2020, for his alleged involvement in a job scam. He was later granted bail by Orissa high court on June 11, 2021. Prior to his arrest, BJD had expelled him for alleged anti-people activities.
The former state minister subsequently joined the BJP and successfully contested the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat.