Berhampur: Pradeep Panigrahi, the MP from Berhampur in Odisha’s Ganjam district, has got relief from a court in the Tata Motors job fraud case.
Hearing the case on Tuesday, a special designated court for MP-MLA in Berhampur acquitted Panigrahi in two cases while three other cases will be heard on Wednesday. Two other accused in the case, Abhay Pathak and his son Akash Pathak have also been acquitted by the court.
Panigrahi’s lawyer Deepak Patnaik told the media that the court relief came after five complainants against the MP withdrew their statements in the court earlier. They told the JMFC Court in Berhampur that Panigrahi had not taken any money from them in return of giving them jobs in the Tata Motors.
Three of them withdrew their statements on December 18 last year. Two others changed their version on December 10 and said they had filed the complaint on pressure from then ruling BJD party, Panigrahi’s lawyer said.
It may be noted that the BJP MP and former minister of the state was arrested by the CID Crime Branch (CB) of Odisha Police arrested him on December 3, 2020 in connection with the alleged job scam. While he was in jail, the Orissa High Court granted him bail on June 11, 2021.
Panigrahi is accused of collecting Rs 6 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh from youths on behalf of Akash Kumar Pathak, son of suspended IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak, with the promise to provide them jobs in the private firm.
