HC allows Hansdah to attend LS for a day

Cuttack: In a major relief to Nabadiganta chit fund scam accused and Mayurbhanj MP Rama Chandra Hansdah, the Orissa High Court today allowed the parliamentarian to attend the ongoing session of Lok Sabha for a day.

Hearing the plea of Hansdah, the court said that the suspended BJD MP can attend the budget session of the Lower House for the day even while remaining under the CBI custody. Hansdah is presently lodged at Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar.

In its ruling, the court has clarified that the jail authorities will hand over Hansdah to the CBI by 23rd of this month and the Central probe agency will take charge of deposing the MP before the designated CBI court in Bhubaneswar.

Hansdah had requested in his interim bail plea that he be allowed to attend Parliament at least for one day. As per the constitutional norms, if any MP fails to attend 60 working days at a stretch in Parliament, there are provisions to disqualify the member from the House he belongs to, added the MP’s plea.

The District and Sessions court of Khurda and special CBI court had rejected the plea of Hansdah who was arrested by CBI on November 4, 2014, for his alleged role in Nabadiganta chit fund scam.