Archana Nag sextortion case: Orissa HC junks Shradhanjali’s plea, asks her to appear before CBI court

Bhubaneswar: Hearing a petition to appear through a legal counsel, Orissa High Court in Cuttack today rejected the plea which was filed by Archana Nag’s associate Sraddhanjali Behera. The Court insisted the petitioner Behera to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in person.

A source said that Sraddhanjali had moved the High Court after her bail plea was earlier rejected in a lower court. The CBI court had issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against aide Sraddhanjali Behera in connection with the much-debated Archana Nag sextortion case, the source added.

Previously, an anticipatory bail petition filed by Sraddhanjali was outrightly rejected by the lower court. The NBW was issued as the accused did not appear before the court despite repeated summons. She was taking the plea of her ill health to escape personal appearance in court.

The court had rejected an interim protection plea of Sraddhanjali, who was one of the accused named in the chargesheet as an associate of lady blackmailer Archana Nag. The court had asked Sraddhanjali to cooperate with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the investigation as the agency had stated her non-cooperation in the ongoing probe into the money laundering allegation framed against Archana.

Sraddhanjali had appeared before ED at its Bhubaneswar office twice for quizzing. Between 2017 and 2022, it was found that Archana deposited a significant amount of money in the former’s bank account. The ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Archana, her husband Jagabandhu Chand, and his business partner Khageswar Patra, including Sraddhanjali.