HC grants interim relief to Tripathy

Odisha Channel Bureau Cuttack, Sep 30: Orissa High Court on Tuesday granted interim relief to senior Biju Janata Dal legislator Pravat Tripathy and ordered that he should not be arrested till October 13 in Odisha mega chit fund scam.The High Court had on Monday heard arguments on the anticipatory bail plea of Tripathy, but it passed an interim order protecting the petitioner from arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation till October 13, when the matter will be taken up for further hearing again.For Tripathy it was big relief as he could not be arrested by the CBI for his alleged links with the chit fund company Artha Tatwa Group till October 13 by which day the Durga Puja celebrations would be over in Cuttack.The BJD legislator happens to be the president of the Cuttack Mahanagar Puja Committee.Tripathy’s party was also saved from embarrassment as his arrest would have affected the BJD’s prospects in Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat where a by-poll is scheduled to be held on October 15.The BJD legislator had moved the High Court seeking advance bail apprehending arrest as his houses had already been raided by the CBI and he also had been questioned by the investigating agency in connection with his alleged links with AT Group head Pradip Sethy.