Other States - Orissa

Breather for Lenka

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has ordered an interim stay on the trial by Cuttack Sadar SDJM court which had taken cognizance of a false affidavit case filed against former Union minister and senior Congress leader K.C. Lenka. A criminal case under Section 177, 181 and 182 of IPC is pending against Lenka in the lower court following a petition filed by the district administration.

A single-judge bench of Justice Pradeep Kumar Mohanty of High Court after taking up two criminal revision petitions of Lenka has issued notice to the Cuttack district administration to file counters within four weeks. In an interim order passed earlier this week, the bench has stayed the trial of the case in lower court till January 12, 2009. Lenka in his petitions has challenged the lower court’s decision to condone the delay and taking cognizance of the case under provisions of IPC. “When provisions of Representation of Peoples’ Act 1955 deals the penal action of such offences, why the district administration has relied on sections of IPC,” the petition has asked.

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