Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Mar 25:
The Odisha High Court today directed former additional government pleader in the Artha Tatwa (Group) chit fund scam Debasish Panda to appear before the CBI on April 2 morning for interrogation.
The court issued the directive while conducting a hearing on an anticipatory bail petition moved by Panda to avoid possible arrest by the CBI over his alleged links with the Artha Tatwa (AT) Group in the mega chit fund scam.
The interim protection granted by the court to Panda earlier is still in force.
The CBI submitted that Panda’s name had figured in documents seized during raids at the residence of Crime Branch DSP Pramod Panda indicating his complicity in the AT scam and sought the court’s permission to interrogate him.
The CBI claimed that the seized documents showed Panda’s links with Pradeep Sethi, the former CMD of AT Group that necessitated an investigation into his role in the larger conspiracy following which the court directed the former additional government pleader to appear before the CBI on April 2 in the morning.