Cuttack: Despite getting summoned in the Mahanga double murder case, former minister and BJD MLA Pratap Jena did not appear in the Salepur JMFC Court today. On the other hand, Jena has approached the Orissa High Court against the lower court’s order.
As per the earlier notice, Jena was scheduled to appear in Salepur JMFC court today but due to health reasons, he was unable to attend in person. A petition under Section 205 of CRPC was filed by Mr. Jena in JMFC Court, Salepur seeking permission to attend the hearing through counsel without appearing in person.
It was stated, in the petition, that Jena was being treated at Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar. The Associate Professor of the Medicine Department at Capital Hospital had advised him to take bed rest for one month. In such a situation, he requested to be exempted from personal appearance. Therefore, permission to appear in court through lawyers was requested.
However, Jena’s application was opposed by the complainant Ranjit Baral. It was argued that there is no problem for him to appear in person in court as he lives near the constituency and Jena’s Section 205 petition is inadmissible.
Salepur JMFC Court after hearing the arguments of both parties, another petition was filed on behalf of Jena seeking two weeks’ time. The court reserved its verdict on this petition. A separate petition has been filed in Salepur JMFC Court on behalf of the complainant Baral.
Also Read: Mahanga Double Murder: MLA Pratap Jena Fails To Appear Before Court