Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has declined pre-arrest bail to former Jharsuguda MLA and BJD leader Dipali Das in connection with a case registered against her in an alleged coal transportation protest.
The court, however, directed the trial court to release her on bail after she surrenders over the matter within a period of three weeks. “Considering the nature of allegation, gravity of offence and the facts and circumstances of the case, I am not inclined to grant pre-arrest bail to the petitioner,” the single judge bench of Justice Aditya Kumar Mohapatra.
The case was registered against Dipali and and Rengali MLA Sudarshan Haripal for allegedly blocking movement of NLC India Limited’s coal-transporting vehicles at Talabira in Odisha’s Sambalpur on September 21.
She has been accused of instigating the local people, who had gathered there, which created a law and order issue in the locality.