Mahima Mishra to remain behind bars despite HC breather

Cuttack: Even as the Orissa High Court granted conditional bail to industrialist Mahima Mishra today in connection with the murder of Seaways Shipping General Manager Mahendra Swain, he will be remaining in jail as hearing on his bail plea in Cuttack Press Chhak bomb blast is reserved for tomorrow.

While granting bail in Mahendra Swain case, the court directed him to surrender his passport and stay away from Paradip. Police have submitted charge sheets to the court in both the cases.

Mahima Mishra's counsel KTS Tulsi, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, argued in court in favour of a bail citing that Bapi Sarkhel, another co-accused in the high profile murder case, had been granted conditional bail earlier. On the other hand, the public prosecutor objected to bail petition on the ground that he might influence witnesses after court breather.

One of the richest businessmen of Odisha, Mishra is also the founder and managing director of Odisha Stevedores Limited (OSL), a stevedore giant of the country. He has been in jail for the last four months since he was arrested from Thailand for allegedly masterminding murder of Mahendra Swain, a top executive of Hyderabad-based stevedoring company, on October 26, 2016 at Paradip.