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The Odisha BJP has escalated its legal battle against Sitanshu Dwivedi, the lawyer of arrested BJD leader Raja Chakra, by filing a defamation lawsuit in the SDJM court of Balasore on Friday.
State BJP president Manmohan Samal accused Dwivedi of making ‘false and malicious’ claims that Rs 1.3 crore was transferred to the party account via RTGS as part of a transport scam, of which Chakra is being held as the prime accused.
"A month back, Dwivedi made a statement against me that my colleagues had pressured him to deposit Rs 1.3 crore to the BJP state leadership or face business consequences. I don't know his intentions behind the false accusations, but I have filed a defamation case for the law to take its course," Samal said in an interaction with the media.
Case Background: Transport Scam & Legal Tussle
Raja Chakra, a BJD leader with significant political clout, was arrested in March by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) over alleged misappropriation of funds in a transport scam.
The EOW alleged Chakra siphoned over Rs 1.32 crore through fraudulent transactions. During a bail hearing on April 5, the OPID court postponed its decision after police failed to submit critical financial documents, including seizure lists, audit reports, and bank records.
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Defamation Lawsuit: BJP’s Counterattack
The BJP’s lawsuit targets Dwivedi’s claim that Rs 1.3 crore was transferred to the party’s state leadership’s account, with Rs 53 lakh withdrawn by a former secretary of a mining agency linked to Chakra.
Samal dismissed the allegations as baseless conspiracy, stating, “Our accounts are transparent. Those spreading lies must face consequences.”
Anjan Bej, former secretary of the Suakati-Gandhamardhan Loading Agency, denied involvement.
EOW Widens Probe: Officials Under Scanner
The EOW is now investigating potential ties between Chakra and a former Keonjhar superintendent of police, a district collector, and BJD leader Bobby Das. Sources suggest the agency is probing whether these figures aided Chakra in laundering funds or evading scrutiny.
