BJP leader Pradeep Panigrahi exonerated of all charges, marks the end of his ordeal

Bhubaneswar: After a long and tumultuous battle, Pradeep Panigrahi, an ex-close confidant of former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, now turned political opponent, can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament from Berhampur has been exonerated in all five cases of cheating and fraud that were levelled against him. These charges stemmed from a bitter fallout with V. Karthikeyan Pandian, Patnaik's current right-hand man and political protégé.

Panigrahi’s legal troubles began around 2019-20 after he fell out of favour with Patnaik, who placed greater trust in Pandian, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, leading to Panigrahi's sidelining within the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Following this, several charges of fraud and deceit were brought against him and he was expelled from BJD on the charge of 'anti-people activity' charge. In one high-profile incident, Panigrahi was jailed, and his daughter’s marriage to Akash Pathak, the son of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Abhay Kant Pathak, was halted. Both Abhay Pathak and his son Akash faced charges—Vinay for corruption and Akash for job fraud.

The turning point in Panigrahi’s life came as Pandian’s influence within the BJD grew, placing him in the second-highest position in the party. Speculation surfaced that Pandian might be positioned to succeed Naveen Patnaik if the BJD secured a sixth consecutive term in the 2024 elections. Amidst this backdrop, Panigrahi's legal woes mounted, culminating in his arrest.

However, after being granted bail, Panigrahi made a political shift and joined the BJP, months before the 2024 general elections. Running for the Berhampur seat, in Patnaik’s home district of Ganjam, Panigrahi not only won the seat but played a crucial role in the BJP's success, contributing to the defeat of numerous BJD candidates. This outcome led to the virtual collapse of Naveen Patnaik's government, which had been in power for 24 years.

According to Panigrahi's lawyer, Deepak Pattanayak, the lawmaker has now been acquitted of all charges related to alleged job frauds.

“The Brahmapur Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Rural Court delivered its verdict on Wednesday, clearing Panigrahi of three cases involving false promises of job offers at Tata Motors,” Pattanayak confirmed.

This ruling came just a day after Panigrahi, along with Abhay Kant Pathak and his son Akash Pathak, was acquitted in two separate fraud cases. The court found the allegations against them to be unsupported by sufficient evidence, leading to the dismissal of all charges.

The accusations against Panigrahi centered around claims that he had defrauded individuals by offering them fake employment opportunities at Tata Motors in exchange for money. However, the court found these charges baseless after the trial.

On Tuesday, Panigrahi had already been cleared of two other cases, and the verdict on Wednesday further solidified his exoneration. All remaining charges were dropped, marking a complete end to his legal battles.

The original complaints were filed by five individuals with police stations in Golanthara and Baidyanathpur in Ganjam district. They alleged that Panigrahi had misled them with promises of jobs at Tata Motors. However, in a significant turn of events, two of the complainants withdrew their accusations on December 10, and the remaining three followed suit on December 18. They claimed that they had been politically pressured by the BJD to file false complaints against Panigrahi. The complainants stated that they had been coerced by police officers, including an Inspector General (IG), who had written the complaints for them and forced their signatures.

With no evidence to substantiate the accusations, the court found no reason to proceed with the cases. "Due to the lack of evidence, the court has acquitted him of all charges," Pattanayak said.