Bhubaneswar: Trouble mounted for BJD leader Pratap Jena as the Supreme Court directed Odisha Government to respond to the court in the sensational Mahanga double murder case, which involves the former Minister. 

Hearing a petition filed by Ranjit Kumar Baral, the son of Kulamani Baral, one of the deceased persons in Mahanga double murder case, the apex court on Friday asked Odisha Government to submit its response within four weeks.  

The represented parties can file counter affidavit and place the statements of witnessess recorded by the courts of concerned session judge as well as concerned district magistrate in the case, the Supreme Court stated. 

While senior advocate Aman Lekhi was appearing for the petitioner Ranjit Baral, senior advocate  Siddharth Agarwal was present at the court on behalf of Pratap Jena. 

On January 2, 2021, BJP leader Kulamani Baral, the former Block chairman of Mahanga, and his associate Dibyasingha Baral, were brutally killed by unidentified miscreants near Jankoti village under Mahanga block in Cuttack district, while they were on their way back to homes on a motorcycle. 

Family members of deceased persons alleged that Pratap Jena, who was the then Law Minister in Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government, was behind the double murder. 

Based on complaint, an FIR was filed at the Mahanga Police Station against 14 people including Pratap Jena. The Mahanga police arrested total 10 persons and filed a chargesheet, dropping the name of BJD leader. 

A few days later, Prafulla Biswal, one of the accused persons, died mysteriously in a road accident at Tangi. 

Ranjit Baral approached the Supreme Court after Orissa High Court gave a clean chit to Pratap Jena in the double murder case. 

Earlier, Salipur JMFC Court had directed the Mahanga Police to investigate into alleged involvement of Jena and collect Call Details Records of all accused persons. In October 2023, the court directed for inclusion of Jena's name in the list of accused persons. 

Challenging the court's order, Jena moved Orissa High Court in November 2023. Hearing the case, the court excluded his name from the list of accused.