The official added that, in the land case, in the absence of any protection, “police could have arrested the Pandas Friday evening or Saturday or Sunday if they were so motivated”. Not one such petition has been successful.” They have filed numerous petitions in the high court, including petitions to quash FIRs. “This clearly establishes that the case has merit,” the official said. The official said, in the land case, the high court has dismissed their petition and declined any protection. The others on usurping SC (Scheduled Caste) land will continue to be investigated by the EOW (Economic Offences Wing),” a senior Odisha police official told ThePrint.Ī second senior Odisha Police official denied the Pandas’ allegations of a witch-hunt. “We have requested the income tax to investigate the benami transaction angle or financial frauds associated with the case. With the court order, they are now liable for arrest.Ī senior police official from the Odisha crime branch told ThePrint that multiple angles have emerged in the case.
The duo is accused of ‘cheating’ and acquiring land from Dalits in the state’s Khurda district against government norms. Jagi Panda’s statement comes on the back of the Orissa High Court Friday cancelling its 6 November order protecting the couple from arrest in a case of alleged land grab. She denied any wrongdoing and said the network is confident that it will be vindicated in the courts. She also said the behaviour of the Odisha authorities is biased and the allegations should be investigated by a national agency. “On top of this has been the BJD’s anger against OTV for repeatedly exposing widespread corruption in Odisha, including recent massive corruption from Covid funds,” her statement said. She said there have also been several instances of actual violence against them. She further alleged that ever since her husband Jay Panda started speaking out against the BJD, and then joined the BJP, the Odisha government and the ruling party have been targeting and harassing her family members and organisations and entities connected with them. “We assert that these cases are being orchestrated by the 21-year-old BJD government in Odisha because of CM Naveen Patnaik’s personal vendetta against us,” she alleged in the statement. In a statement issued Saturday, she alleged that, in the past two months, Odisha Police has registered 20 false cases against OTV, its sister companies, employees and her family members - including her 84-year-old father Randhir Singh.
New Delhi: Jagi Mangat Panda, the wife of BJP national vice-president Baijayant Jay Panda and owner of the regional news channel Odisha TV (OTV), has accused the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government of filing false cases against the family out of “personal vendetta”.