Bhubaneswar Court Dismisses Petition Against Naveen Patnaik and VK Pandian
· India · Hindustan Times, India Today
A sessions court in Khordha on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking action against former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his close aide VK Pandian over the alleged misuse of government helicopters and a claimed ₹500 crore loss to the state exchequer. Sessions judge Biranchi Narayan Mohanty upheld a March 25 magistrate order, ruling that petitioner Sudhir Charan Mohanty had failed to establish a prima facie offence, comply with mandatory procedures under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), or produce documentary or RTI evidence to back his allegations. The court also found the complaint lacked locus standi and that the report sent to the deputy commissioner of police was 'cryptic' and not dispatched by post as required. Mohanty, an advocate and social worker, had initially sought an FIR at Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar before moving court after police inaction.
Why it matters
The ruling closes a legal avenue against Patnaik and Pandian on the helicopter-spending allegations, underscoring how procedural gaps — not the merits of the claims — sank the complaint in Odisha.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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