SC Stays Odisha High Court Order Dismissing Lokayukta Order For Vigilance Prove Against Pradeep Panigrahi

New Delhi: In a major jolt to former Minister and expelled BJD MLA Pradeep Panigrahi, the Supreme Court of India Friday stayed the order pronounced by the Orissa High Court dismissing the Lokayukata’s Order for Vigilance probe into the disproportionate assets case. The office of the Lokayukta had filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the HC Order. The plea was heard by a two judge bench of Justice Naveen Sinha and Ajay Rastogi through Video Conferencing. Senior Counsel for the Odisha Lokayukta Rabindra Srivastava and Advocate on Record Arjun Garg pleaded that the Lokayukta has the power to decide which agency will investigate into the matter and the Orissa High Court should not have intervened into it. The High Court had ruled that the vigilance, which is also a complainant, can not be the investigator in a quasi judicial proceeding. To this, the senior counsel on behalf of the Lokayukta argued that it is violating an earlier Order of the Supreme Court’s Five Judge Bench. The SC stayed the High Court order pronounced on 3rd February this year and issued a notice to Pradeep Panigrahi.

The State Government had referred the disproportionate assets case to Odisha Lokayukta last year which in turn directed the state Vigilance Directorate to probe the allegations made against him and give a report within two months.

It is the first case handed over to the Odisha Lokayukta after its formation. The Odisha Crime Branch had arrested Panigrahi last year in connection with a case registered with the Cyber police station under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 469, 471, 120-B of the IPC and Section 66C66D of the IT Act.