HC grants bail to chit fund accused on health grounds

The Orissa High Court today granted conditional bail to arrested chit fund scam accused Ranjan Das on health grounds as he wishes to go outside the state for oral cancer treatment.
Justice Raghuvir Das, who had rejected Ranjan's bail application last month, allowed it this time on a condition that he shall deposit a bank draft of Rs 10 lakh, furnish a property surety of another Rs 10 lakh and two more sureties having solvency worth Rs 50,000 each.
Besides, the chit fund accused has been asked by the High Court to deposit his passport with CBI and shall not influence the witnesses or tamper with the evidences during the bail period.

A close confidant of arrested MLA Pravat Tripathy, Ranjan was arrested by CBI in September last year for his alleged links with chit fund company Arthatatwa (AT) group and its CMD Pradeep Sethy who is now also in CBI custody.
Along with expelled BJD leader Tripathy and Sethy, Ranjan has also been named as an accused in the preliminary charge sheet of CBI, which was submitted in the designated court of CBI at Bhubaneswar last month.