The Orissa High Court dropped contempt proceedings against Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M after he appeared in person and submitted an unconditional apology for his remarks on the Pitabas Panda murder case.
Consequently, the court accepted his affidavit and noted that he did not intend to interfere with judicial matters.
Earlier, Justice Sashikanta Mishra had issued a notice to the SP and directed him to explain his comments made during an October 22 press briefing. During that briefing, the officer publicly linked the murder of senior advocate Pitabas Panda to an election petition pending before the High Court. Furthermore, his remarks came soon after police arrested several accused in the murder investigation.
Meanwhile, the case involves a petition filed by voter Manoj Kumar Panda, who challenged the election of BJP MLA K. Anil Kumar from Berhampur. In addition, Manoj Kumar Panda alleged that police unlawfully detained and interrogated him about his legal challenge. Moreover, a newspaper report quoted the SP as saying that the election petition emerged as a “common link” in the murder probe and that one of the accused allegedly funded the legal expenses.
Justice Mishra observed that such public statements could interfere with a sub judice matter. Therefore, the SP clarified in his affidavit that he regretted his comments and did not intend to undermine the authority of the court or influence the investigation.
Finally, the High Court reviewed the apology and affidavit and decided to end contempt proceedings. As a result, the ruling closed a controversial chapter in the ongoing investigation into the murder of Pitabas Panda, a senior advocate and BJP leader.
