Mahanga murder case: Odisha MLA Pratap Jena summoned to appear on October 31

Mahanga: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Salipur today served a notice to Mahanga MLA Pratap Jena to personally appear before the court on October 31 in connection with the much-debated murder of local BJP leader Kulamani Baral and his associate Dibyasingha Baral in Cuttack district.

The legislator was served the court order through a special messenger at his government residence.

Worth mentioning, the BJD MLA’s name was mentioned in an FIR earlier lodged by Ramakant Baral, son of the deceased. The Minister is among 13 persons accused of being involved in the murder.

The former Law Minister had threatened to kill both Kulamani and Dibyasingha. Jena is responsible for the murder of the duo. Some miscreants killed them on the local MLA’s instruction as Kulamani often raised his voice against corruption including housing scams, Ramakant had alleged in the FIR.

The victim duo was killed by some miscreants on January 2, 2021 on their way back home.

“After going through the statements of the complainant, witnesses, and other available materials on record, we found that a prima facie case punishable for the offences under Sections 302, 506, 120 B of the IPC be made against the accused Pratap Jena,” the court had said in its previous order on September 25.