Paradip: Odisha Industrialist Mahimananda Mishra and former Congress leader Arindam Sarkhel appeared before the Additional Sessions Judge Court at Kujang in Jagatsinghpur on Monday in connection with the murder of Seaways Shipping and Logistics Pvt Ltd. (SSPL) General Manager Mahendra Swain in 2016.
All accused persons in the sensational murder case reportedly deposed before the court. The court accepted their testimonies and has fixed November 24 and 25 for receiving their bail bonds, according to Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Debasish Kanth.
Mishra, Managing Director of Odisha Stevedores Limited (OSL), was accused of being the mastermind behind the high-profile killing, while Sarkhel, widely known as Bapi, was named as a co-accused in the case.
As per case details, Mahendra Swain, was shot dead in his car near Madhuban Market in Paradip while proceeding to office on October 26, 2016. Two motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted his vehicle, fired at him from close range, and hurled crude bombs before fleeing. Swain succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital.
The State Crime Branch launched a probe into the murder and later arrested Mahima Mishra from Thailand in December 2016. He was released from judicial custody on June 19, 2018, but re-arrested on September 29, 2018, after the Supreme Court revoked the bail granted to him by the Orissa High Court. Subsequently, a single bench of the High Court again granted him bail on health grounds, directing the trial court to determine the conditions for his release.
Bapi Sarkhel, on the other hand, was granted bail by the High Court on April 17, 2017, against a surety of Rs 1 lakh and two bailers.
Both Mahima Mishra and Bapi Sarkhel continue to face trial before the Additional Sessions Judge Court, Kujang, in the case.