Hearing of BJD MLA's bail petition deferred

A special court here deferred the hearing of a bail petition of Odisha's ruling BJD MLA and assembly election candidate Pradeep Maharathy who was arrested on the charge of attacking a magistrate of the Election Commission flying squad.

The Pipili candidate's plea was slated to be heard on Wednesday but it was deferred due to delay in submission of case diary and injury report, government pleader Pradipta Kumar Mishra said.

The police could not submit the reports to the special court dealing with cases against politicians on time due to election duty, Mishra said adding that Maharathy's bail plea will be heard on April 27.

Maharathy was arrested on April 22 for allegedly attacking the EC's flying squad magistrate Rabinarayan Patra at his farm house in Pipili where the team had reached the the previous night after receiving a complaint that money and liquor were being distributed before the election.

The BJD candidate could not vote on April 23 when polling was held in Pipili as he was in jail.

After being produced in the Special Court in Bhubaneswar on April 22, Maharathy said he was ill and the court directed the authorities to keep him in the prison hospital and refer him to the Capital Hospital, if required.

The former minister, who was charged under various sections of the IPC and the Representation of the People Act, is now admitted in the state-run Capital Hospital.

Maharathy had to resign from the ministry in 2012 after being accused of shielding those accused in the Pipili gang rape and murder case. He again became a minister in 2014 but quit in January this year following his comment that the rape victim got justice after acquittal of two of the accused.

A 19-year-old Dalit girl was raped in Pipili in November, 2011 and died in June 2012 after remaining in a semi-comatose state, sparking outrage in the state.