Lawyer Debasis Panda granted bail in AT scam

Bhubaneswar: Hours after the State Bar Council announce withdrawal of its the cease work, lawyer Debasis Panda, a co-accused in the Artha Tatwa (AT) chit fund scam, was granted bail by the Khurda district and Sessions court on Friday.

Judge Prakash Mohapatra granted him bail against two bailers and a surety of Rs 50, 000 while directing him to cooperate with the CBI in the investigation.

The former Enforcement Directorate (ED) lawyer was arrested by the central probe agency on Monday for his alleged complicity in the AT chit fund scam. He was nabbed hours after Artha Tatwa group chief Pradeep Sethy was grilled by the investigating team in Jharpada special jail here.

The arrest of Panda irked the State Bar Council of which he is an active member. Protesting the manner in which he was arrested, the council had launched a cease work since Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the court permitted the CBI to take former Youth Congress chief Rajat Choudhury on remand for three more days. He will be on CBI remand from tomorrow till July 11.

Choudhury was arrested along with Panda for his alleged complicity in the AT scam.